Berkeley Municipal Pier-Ferry Project

The City is working with a consultant to conduct a Structural Condition Assessment / Restoration Feasibility Study for the currently-closed Berkeley Municipal Pier.

This Restoration Feasibility Study will initially: (1) evaluate the existing structural integrity of the Pier, (2) develop conceptual restoration alternatives to facilitate reopening the Pier for public use in the most cost effective manner, (3) provide recommendations on rehabilitation priorities, (4) identify environmental and regulatory permitting requirements (5) determine cost estimates, and (6) depending on the results of the structural condition evaluation, the Study will explore the feasibility of ferry services at the Pier, and any ferry-related additional appurtenances that might be needed.

The assessment is complete and will be a guiding document to ultimately identity the feasibility and magnitude of improvements to the Berkeley’s Berkeley Municipal Pier.

Consultant Team

• GHD, Inc.
• Sea Engineering – Underwater Structural Inspection
• Marcy Wong Donn Logan Architects – Architectural
• Mott MacDonald – Coastal Engineering
• Bluhon Group 

Public Engagement Process

The Pier-Ferry Planning Study public process involved a community process in the form of four (4) Focus groups in early January, 2021 and three large Community Workshops on January 21, 2021, August 10, 2021, and October 27, 2021. The project was presented at the City Council Worksession on February 16, 2021, followed by a WETA Board of Directors meeting on March 4, 2021. The presentation slides and breakout group notes for these meetings can be found on this webpage below. 

An online questionnaire for the project was conducted to seek broader community feedback. Below is the questionnaire results report.

The goal of these meetings was to receive extensive community feedback on the project and incorporate feedback into the preliminary concepts for the project. The goal is to develop a final recommendation for the community, City Council and the WETA Board by the end of the 2021 calendar year. If the concept and design funding are approved by the City and WETA, the City and WETA would execute a second MOU for design and environmental studies. The Design Phase is anticipated take 2 to 3 years.

Background

The Berkeley Municipal Pier was closed in July, 2015 due to visually observed structural problems on the underside of the concrete decking and pilings. In 2017, the City retained a structural engineering firm (GHD) to assess the problem and develop a range of potential solutions and costs. In 2018, the Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) staff-initiated discussions with City staff regarding the possibility of new ferry service at the Berkeley Waterfront. During those initial discussions, WETA and City staff realized that it could be cost-effective to investigate a single pier that would provide two uses – ferry service and public recreation. In 2019, WETA and the City Council authorized a Memorandum of Understanding Agreement (MOU) to jointly fund a planning study to evaluate the feasibility of a dual-purpose pier.  If the answer is yes, the two agencies would execute amendments to the MOU to fund the next phases of the project (design, construction, and operations/maintenance). For background details, see the Council Report approval of the MOU on March 12, 2019.