The $58 million Wilmington Waterfront Promenade project will include construction of a community park, an over-the-water pier deck, parking lots, a playground area and a 2,500-sq.-ft. space for commercial development near the Port of Los Angeles.
(Photo courtesy of Sully-Miller)
If Los Angeles were a person, the Port of Los Angeles would be the biceps. Or maybe the quads. The Port does a lot of heavy lifting with huge cranes constantly in motion loading and unloading container ships.
The Port of Los Angeles has been the busiest port in North America for the past two decades. In 2021, the Port reported that it had processed nearly 11 million container units in the past year. Some $259 billion worth of goods passes through its gates annually.
Although the Port receives goods from around the world, it has not overlooked its local ties, committing to the construction of a waterfront promenade at the nearby communities of Wilmington and San Pedro. The construction will include a pedestrian bridge suitable for walking and cyclists. Community input weighed heavily in the design features of the parks and the bridge. Revenues from the Port will finance the design and construction of the facilities.
The Port is located on the San Pedro Bay, 25 mi. south of downtown Los Angeles and has some 43 mi. of waterfront. The Port and local communities decided to slice off parcels of that real estate into promenades to benefit local residents.
The Wilmington Waterfront Promenade project will include construction of a community park, an over-the-water pier deck, parking lots, a playground area and a 2,500-sq.-ft. space for commercial development. The project began in 2020 and is scheduled to be completed in 2023 with a budget of $52 million.
Dirty Work
Sully-Miller Contracting is performing the site demolition and construction of the promenade. After the removal of several buildings, the dirty work of soil remediation began. Like most public works projects of any size, workers on the Wilmington Waterfront Promenade project had to dig deep and relocate utilities.
"We did some heavy duty work with underground utilities, DWP waterlines and DWP electrical ductbanks that required deep excavations," said Raymond Delgadillo, project manager of Sully-Miller. "Of course, we also were dealing with the high water table. In addition, we had to carefully plan how to demo the existing seawall with the tides constantly fluctuating. We have almost completed the water part of our work."
The new concrete walkways will be supported by 74 king pilings, many of which were driven as deep as 60 ft. into the earth. These pilings, together with the sheet pilings, will form the combination wall at the water. Railings at the water's edge will provide safety. In addition, a set of tidal steps will descend into the water and allow people to see the rise and fall of the tides as the steps are covered by water then uncovered as the water recedes.
Green construction practices are a part of the building plans. "We are planning to recycle construction waste, including concrete, lumber, metal and soil," said Project Manager Christian Castro. "We also plan to treat stormwater through infiltration plantings, retention basins and permeable pavers all designed to hold rainwater and filter some impurities before returning it to waterways."
The promenades also will employ LED lighting for the project, another energy saver.
"It is exciting to build a beautiful open space for the community to use that is all nestled within a working port," said Castro. "We will be able to provide views at the water's edge and also show people how a container terminal operates."
"The Wilmington Waterfront Promenade and upcoming Avalon Promenade and Gateway are important in connecting the Wilmington community with its historic waterfront," said Port of Los Angeles Director of Waterfront and Commercial Real Estate Mike Galvin, "These two projects will create more open space for recreational activities and provide tremendous economic benefits by activating the Avalon Corridor and Wilmington's commercial core."
Bridge Construction
The Avalon Pedestrian Bridge (phase one) and the Avalon Gateway (phase two) are currently being designed. The project's $28.5 million phase one will include construction of the cable-anchored pedestrian bridge along Avalon Boulevard. The bridge promises to be both practical and aesthetically impressive, conveying pedestrians and bicyclists to the new waterfront promenade. The second phase of construction will include an entry plaza and gateway. Construction of the Avalon Pedestrian Bridge and Avalon Gateway is expected to start in 2024.
Castro indicated that the expenditure is part of the Port's 10-year plan to provide more public access to the waterfront, with the investments split between San Pedro and Wilmington.
"It's a very ambitious plan to convert part of an industrial site to public open space," said Castro. "Money will also be set aside for operations, maintenance and community programs at the parks."
The plan for the promenades also includes public docks to facilitate waterside access between the promenades when they are completed.
The Wilmington Waterfront Promenade project and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) commenced a land swap that opened up the 13-acre property.
LADWP performed the demolition of a 500,000-barrel petroleum storage tank on site that had been unused for years. Using heavy equipment to saw off the top of the barrel, workers were able to complete the demolition and removal of the item in just over two months. CEG
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