A joint venture of GraceHebert Architects and global engineering firm Moffatt & Nichol is beginning the planning and design work of an expansion to the city dock, a process that will take at least nine months to complete.
The city-parish issued a request for proposals earlier this year and the joint venture of the two firms was selected in August for the $300,000 project.
“They’re doing due diligence before they start designing so they’ve been meeting with a lot of operators, studying the existing structure, understanding the existing boats and planning for the future,” says Davis Rhorer, executive director of the Downtown Development District. “We’re very excited about this. It opens up a whole new industry of tourism along the river.”
The city is expanding the city dock to accommodate more riverboats that will be stopping in Baton Rouge. Currently, about 84 riverboats will stop in Baton Rouge this year. That number is expected to increase to more than 100 in 2017, when Viking River Cruises initiates voyages along the Mississippi River.
The existing dock can only accommodate a single vessel at a time. The expanded dock, however, will be able to accommodate at least two vessels. In contrast to the existing pedestal dock, which ramps down to the water, the new dock will be a floating structure that runs parallel to the levee, says Adam Fishbein, a partner with GraceHebert.
“At a minimum, it will support two riverboats at a time and maybe three at some point,” Fishbein says. “We’re planning for future expansion if need be.”
Construction on the new dock could begin as soon as next summer and be completed by 2017.
—Stephanie Riegel
