WETA Vallejo Baylink Ferry Terminal Dredging and Float Restoration

Background

The San Francisco Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) worked with Foth to prepare plans and permits for the dredging of its commuter ferry berth as well as to design access and boarding improvements, and to provide inspections and design repairs for the main ferry landing float. Since the WETA has to maintain daily commuter service, the project also involved preparing temporary landing facilities for the ferries, as well as removal and transport of the main landing float to a nearby shipyard to effect the repairs and improvements.

Approach

Foth has provided turnkey surveying, permitting, engineering, and project management services on the dredging and improvements for the Vallejo Ferry terminal located in Vallejo, California since 2007. Our team was charged with moving the project forward to construction in a nine-month period (inception to award) which included sediment analysis, permit application/agency consultation, and coordination along with engineering and project management support services for five dredge events. Foth also provided design access and boarding improvements, inspections and design repairs for the main ferry landing float. Since WETA has to maintain daily commuter service, the project involved preparing temporary landing facilities for the ferries, as well as removal and transport of the main landing float to a nearby shipyard to effect the repairs and improvements.

The dredge event posed an extreme compressed timeline due to the rebidding of the project. Vallejo Ferry Terminal Dredging Project resulted in two bids, both substantially over the engineer’s estimate. As a result, the bids were rejected and the project was rebid. The project faced a challenge with prevailing wage rates at the shipyard for the drydock repairs. To address cost estimating risks for bidders, the project technical specifications for facilities rehabilitation work was reviewed and amended including revisions to the work scope to improve the project timeline. The project schedule was reworked to allow for the drydock repairs to occur outside the environmental window, allowing for the necessary dredging to be completed on time.

Results

The Foth team’s local knowledge and insight in the regulatory, engineering, and construction requirements in the Bay area provided responsive service that allowed the ferries to quickly return to normal operation.