Repairs will extend along about 1.4 miles of the jetty, targeting the sections most vulnerable to erosion and overtopping damage.

Engineering work will focus on replacing displaced armor stone in the most affected areas. Contract specifications call for placing large quarry stone armor and rebuilding sections of the jetty crest profile using land-based heavy equipment positioned along the structure.

The North Jetty helps stabilize the entrance to Grays Harbor by directing tidal flows and ocean swells away from the navigation channel, allowing deep-draft vessels to safely access port facilities that handle bulk cargo and other maritime shipments, according to the Corps’ Seattle District description of the project.

Maintaining the structure is critical to ensuring the reliability of the federally authorized navigation channel serving the harbor, which supports cargo movements through the Port of Grays Harbor, one of Washington state’s key bulk export gateways, the Corps said.

The work was procured through a sealed-bid solicitation issued by the Corps’ Seattle District. The procurement was designated as a 100% small-business set-aside and requires the contractor to furnish all labor, materials and equipment necessary to restore damaged sections of the jetty in accordance with Corps specifications and technical requirements.

According to the Corps’ bid abstract, Big River Construction submitted the apparent low bid of $50.66 million, ahead of bids from Trade West Construction, S.E.A. Construction and Quigg Bros., reflecting a competitive field of marine and heavy civil contractors pursuing the project.

During the procurement process, the Corps issued several amendments to the solicitation, including one that removed a previously required project labor agreement and extended the bid deadline to January 2026.

Prevailing wages under the Davis-Bacon Act apply to work classified as heavy construction in Grays Harbor County, including trades such as equipment operators, ironworkers, laborers and truck drivers.

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Century-Old, Recurring Maintenance 

The North Jetty is part of a two-jetty system constructed by the Corps beginning in the late 19th century to stabilize the entrance to Grays Harbor and maintain a dependable navigation route between the Pacific Ocean and inland port facilities.

Construction began in 1898 and continued in phases through the early 20th century as engineers developed the harbor entrance improvement project, according to historical Corps engineering records maintained by the Seattle District.

Extending roughly two miles into the Pacific Ocean from Ocean Shores, the North Jetty works together with the South Jetty near Westport to confine tidal flows and limit the movement of sediment that can obstruct the harbor entrance.

Like many coastal structures exposed to Pacific storm systems, the jetties have required periodic rehabilitation over the past century as waves displace armor stone and reduce the structural profile of the jetty crest.

Major rehabilitation campaigns occurred in the mid-20th century following storm damage and structural settlement along sections of the jetty, and again during large-scale repair efforts in the 1970s when crews placed significant volumes of new armor stone to rebuild degraded portions of the structure.

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Since then, the Corps has conducted additional maintenance through its civil works operations and maintenance program, periodically replacing displaced stone and reinforcing sections weakened by repeated winter storms and ocean swell.

“The repair of the North Jetty is a vital investment in the economic health of the community,” the Corps said in announcing the project, noting that the structure plays a central role in maintaining safe access for large vessels entering Grays Harbor.

The latest project continues that long-running maintenance effort by restoring sections of the jetty where overtopping waves have degraded the crest and reduced the structure’s ability to dissipate wave energy and protect the navigation channel, Corps officials said.