Massive King Harbor Breakwater Undergoing $6.8M Repair

REDONDO BEACH, CA — One of Southern California's largest breakwaters is undergoing a $6.8 million repair after federal inspections found damage to the massive structure protecting King Harbor had begun accelerating.

Work on the Redondo Beach-King Harbor breakwater began in June and is expected to continue until mid-November, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Contractors from Connolly-Pacific are using a water-based crane to rebuild damaged sections of the rubble-mound structure, removing and resetting existing armor stone while adding massive new stones barged from Catalina Island.

Despite the deterioration that prompted the work, the Corps says the breakwater remains fully functional.

"The structure is incredibly robust and is one of the largest structures in Southern California with a crest height of 20 feet," Blake Horita, project manager for the Army Corps' Los Angeles District, told Patch through the district's public affairs office Friday.

The repairs will restore damaged portions of the breakwater to their authorized height, width and slopes as the structure continues to shield King Harbor and its infrastructure from ocean waves.

"The breakwater is essential in protecting infrastructure of the harbor," Horita said, while noting that it is not designed to prevent all overtopping during large swells or weather events.

Inspections Found Accelerating Damage

The current project is part of the Corps' routine operations and maintenance of coastal infrastructure under its civil works navigation mission, rather than an emergency repair.

The Corps inspects the breakwater annually to monitor its condition. Recent inspections found that damage caused by repeated wave impacts was accelerating, leading engineers to determine that repairs were necessary, according to Horita.

"Damaged areas can create structural vulnerabilities which can occasionally progress rapidly resulting in localized breaching or failure of the structure if left unaddressed," Horita said.

Despite those vulnerabilities, the Corps says the breakwater remains in good working condition, and Horita said a catastrophic failure is not considered likely in the immediate future. Federal contracting records show the Corps awarded Connolly-Pacific a $6,830,360 contract for the project in 2025.

The federal solicitation for the work called for resetting existing armor stone as needed and placing approximately 8,000 tons of new armor stone, with a median stone weight of 14 tons. An armor-stone bench on the harbor side of the structure also requires repairs.

An earlier 2024 California Regional Water Quality Control Board notice contemplated approximately 15,000 tons of new armor stone and potentially as much as 2,000 cubic yards of dredging to provide sufficient access for construction vessels.

The later federal construction documents reduced the amount of new armor stone to approximately 8,000 tons.

A Harbor Shaped By Huge Waves

The breakwater was originally constructed in phases beginning in 1937 and has been modified and repaired several times since, according to the Corps. Horita said the last repair event occurred in 1999.

One of the most destructive episodes in King Harbor's history came in January 1988, when a fierce storm sent enormous waves over the breakwater and caused widespread destruction around the harbor.

That year, the Los Angeles Times reported that waves exceeding 25 feet washed over the barrier, displaced huge boulders and left at least seven holes in the breakwater. Damage throughout King Harbor was estimated at more than $16 million.

Plans to improve the harbor's defenses were already being developed before that storm. The Corps had been studying improvements following damaging storms in 1983, but the destruction in January 1988 added new urgency to the effort.

The following year, the Los Angeles Times reported that the Corps planned to raise the southern portion of the north breakwater by about 5 or 6 feet, bringing it to the 20-foot-plus height of the rest of the barrier, while also extending the south breakwater.

Horita said the structure was ultimately "overbuilt due to the events of 1988," contributing to its resilience today.

The Corps says King Harbor is protected by north and south breakwaters, although winter storms can still produce increased wave activity and a greater risk of damage to vessels near the entrance and navigation channel. More information about the federal navigation project is available on the Army Corps' Redondo Beach-King Harbor page.

Repairs Continue Into November

The City of Redondo Beach said construction began June 22, with work taking place at different locations along the breakwater as the construction barge periodically relocates. The city had expected the project to be completed in October. Horita told Patch Friday that completion is now anticipated in mid-November.

Construction staging is taking place on Mole B, using some parking spaces near Moonstone Park. The Corps has sought to keep the park accessible and allow the Lanakila Outrigger Club to continue operating during construction, according to the city.

"Boaters and harbor users should exercise caution when transiting the area near the construction and be wary of the anchor wires from the barge that extend into the harbor," Horita said. The Corps said it has been coordinating with Redondo Beach officials and Connolly-Pacific to maintain safe conditions during construction.

The repair project predates the large waves associated with Hurricane Marie that affected the Southern California coast earlier this month. The Corps has not yet told Patch whether Marie caused additional damage to the breakwater, affected the ongoing construction or prompted a separate inspection.