The Port of San Diego is expanding its habitat-friendly shoreline initiative following the demonstrated success of a pilot project at Harbor Island, awarding a US$ 2.9 million construction contract to Power Engineering Construction for two new installations across San Diego Bay.
The contract was approved at the Board of Port Commissioners meeting on March 10, 2026.
The two projects will be located along Harbor Island Park in San Diego and along the Chula Vista side of the Sweetwater Channel. Both will deploy nature-based coastal infrastructure designed to restore marine habitat while maintaining shoreline stability, addressing a significant ecological gap in the bay.
Approximately 74% of San Diego Bay’s shoreline is currently hardened with conventional structures such as seawalls and riprap, which provide minimal habitat value for marine life.
The expansion builds on a pilot project completed in 2021, in which ECOncrete installed its COASTALOCK system along a 160-foot stretch of Harbor Island.
Several years of post-installation monitoring revealed that the habitat-enhancing armour units supported more than 60 marine species and contributed to improved water quality by attracting filter-feeding organisms. ECOncrete is again the technology partner for the expanded programme.
Funding for the Harbor Island project includes US$ 1 million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The Sweetwater Channel project is supported by US$ 2.6 million through a supplemental environmental project agreement with the City of San Diego. The Sweetwater Channel works will be carried out adjacent to Paradise Marsh, adding habitat-enhancing features in an ecologically sensitive area.
Fabrication of the shoreline units is expected to begin in April 2026, with construction to follow.
