This piece of Port Everglades dates to 1926. It’s about to come down.

As the cargo ships coming in and out of Port Everglades become bulkier and mightier, so too must the barriers that prevent soil from getting into the channel.

So Port Everglades is embarking on an estimated $269 million project to replace the bulkheads, also known as seawalls, to keep everything running for all marine traffic, including both cargo and cruise ships. Some stretches of the wall even date to 1926, but the new work is expected to last for a good 75 years more.

It will take years before the work is complete. It is anticipated to be funded with state and federal grants, and port revenue.

“What we’re doing with bulkhead replacement is being proactive,” said Glenn Wiltshire, deputy port director.

As ships are getting built bigger, the channel needs to be both deepened and widened. As that happens, there’s more pressure from the dirt towards the water, so the bulkheads need to be stronger and deeper into the bottom of the waterway, he said.

The ships of yesteryear “were many times smaller than they are today,” Wiltshire said.

The seawalls at three berths will be tackled first. The next phase at the port’s entrance channel will start in 2025. Engineers have designed the new seawall like the existing seawall surface, but it will be stronger to accommodate the planned deepening of the entrance channel and improve stability.

This newest design will also aim to address sea-level rise. The bulkhead is made of steel pilings with a concrete cap. “It’s being designed so in the future if it needs to be raised,” the concrete cap can go higher by up to 4 feet. Workers will need to “drill some holes, put some rebar in for stability and pour another layer of concrete,” he said. “It can be done in increments.”

The bulkheads now range from 4.5 feet to 8.5 feet. They’ll be built at the current heights, but can be raised up to 4 feet higher if needed in the future.

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“We’re not waiting to see the water is coming up over the dock,” he said.

The project is scheduled to begin in early September.

Lisa J. Huriash can be reached at lhuriash@sunsentinel.com . Follow on X, formerly Twitter, @LisaHuriash