Birch Bay Drive & Pedestrian Facility Project

Birch Bay Berm Weeds that Should be Removed
Birch Bay Berm Native plantings reference guide

  1. Reminder: Birch Bay Chamber's Berm Celebration is from 11:30 am – 3:30 pm Saturday, 8/21

    The Birch Bay Drive & Pedestrian Facility Project AKA 'The Berm' is designed to reduce the impacts of coastal flooding, improve pedestrian safety with new sidewalk, and restore beach and marine habitat. More information at this link: Read on...

  2. Birch Bay Drive Construction Largely Complete

    Crews will put up signage, monitor plantings, and demobilize equipment. Thank you for your patience during this project! Please save the date of Saturday, Aug. 21, for a community celebration with the Birch Bay Chamber - follow the Chamber for details!

  3. Birch Bay Drive Construction Update for March 15-19

    Drivers can expect minimal single lane closures from 7am-5pm, Monday-Thursday. Crews will install benches, finish pedestrian path work, and other projects. We want to remind everyone to please avoid damaging the plantings. They are expensive to replace.
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Artist rendering of completed project

Rendering of Path Type I on Berm
Rendering of Path Type II Adjacent to Paving

Project Summary

This project will restore the natural shoreline, protect the roadway from storm damage, and support pedestrian safety with a separated berm that runs from the mouth of Terrell Creek (Lora Lane) to Cedar Avenue approximately 1.58 miles in length along the beach. The project will be constructed over two seasons concluding in April 2021.

Project Details:

Status: Construction began December 9, 2019 and will continue through March 2020 for this first project season. The project will resume in August 2020.

  • Contract Awarded: Yes
  • Contract Amount: $8,724,841.00
  • Contractor: Granite Construction, Inc.

Download our Project Newsletter

  1. Project Description
  2.            News Flash          

Soft Shore Protection

Construction contract is planned to be awarded November 2019 with major elements of the project's 1st phase (soft shore protection) includes the following:
Project Limits: Lora Lane to Cedar Avenue, 1.58 miles
Remove the rip rap, sea walls, groins, and bulkheads along Birch Bay Drive and replace them with a "natural" soft shore beach; reestablishing the beach profile and improving flood protection for the roadway and adjacent structures; this will improve habitat functions and the currently disrupted natural littoral drift of the beach.
Replace and retrofit substandard stormwater facilities and out falls to improve water quality for this significant shellfish area.
Provide beach access and a pedestrian facility as a portion of the Coast Millennium Trail.
Project construction will be over two seasons; September 2017 - May 2018 and September 2018 - May 2019. These work windows were established to avoid construction during the summer high tourism season at Birch Bay and in-water work windows established by environmental permits.



Other Project Information