New Dock Access at Longbranch
March 15, 2011
Last fall the Longbranch people didn’t know what they were going to do. The County had condemned the concrete wharf that provided access to the Longbranch docks, which pretty well cut them off from shore.
The old wharf is gone now, replaced by a 6-foot-wide metal structure. It’s not as imposing as the former concrete wharf, which was built a long time ago for automobile access to a cross-sound ferry.
According to Pat Muchmore, the dock chair, the project required permits from the County, the Washington State Dept. of Natural Resources, and the Army Corps. of Engineers. The first two went quickly, but the Corps. did not deem the project an emergency. They’d get around to it in two years or so. Congressman Norm Dicks’ office learned of the dilemma and made some phone calls. The permit was expedited.
A representative from Dicks’ office attended the ribbon cutting in February.
Longbranch is a good stop in south Puget Sound. Patrick Thompson is the dockmaster.
