New boat ramp, parking improvements part of Causeway Park project in Port Orange
But because of needed upgrades, the city will revamp the area, including a renovated boat ramp, improved parking and more safety features for users.
Located under the west side of the Dunlawton Bridge (93 Dunlawton Ave.), the 30-acre site currently offers visitors a boat ramp, fishing piers and pavilions.
Down Under area revamp: Phase one of Down Under revamp begins with safety, parking improvements
The City Council on June 3 awarded the project's construction contract to Daytona Beach-based company East Coast Marine Construction & Design. The city received $1.2 million from Florida Inland Navigation and Volusia ECHO grants to cover part of the project's $1.65 million price tag. The city will foot the rest of the bill.
The 30-year-old boat ramp at Causeway Park has been a popular spot for boaters, but wear and tear on the facility is beginning to show.
"We are going to replace the entire boat ramp system,' said Shailesh Patel, a representative with the city's engineering consulting firm Dredging and Marine Consultants.
First, the project will involve 'removal of the existing concrete boat ramp, four timber access dock structures, four aluminum gangways, four floating dock systems, and the corresponding piles supporting the floating dock systems,' according to the city.
The city's plan is to repave the ramp to prevent further damage and make the structure more resilient to tidal and tropical activity, as well as adding upgrades to accommodate bigger boats and trailers.
In addition, there will be 'three fixed and reinforced concrete access docks, one timber access dock, four aluminum gangways, and four concrete floating dock systems, along with the necessary concrete piles for the floating dock systems.'
The ramp's current gangways connected to the wooden docks can sometimes make it difficult for boaters to find enough space and depth in the water.
'(The new) gangways will be about 30 feet,' Patel said at a Port Orange City Council meeting in May. 'It will take the floating docks further (out), which allows for more water depth, so the boaters don't have any issue.'
The new docks' structure 'will give the boaters the ability to use each and every side of the boat ramp,' he said.
In addition to the boat ramps, the project will include improvements to the site's parking.
The work will involve milling and paving the existing asphalt road over the 22 parking spots, adding bumper guards (wheel stops) and pavement markings to increase safety in the area. There are also two proposed ADA parking spaces.
Improvements to the boat ramp's docks will be made after the upgrades to the boat ramp.
The project will also feature a new environmental information kiosk.
Patel said the project will take about a year to complete once it begins, but it's unclear when construction would commence.
The plan, he added, is to wait until the contractor orders all the necessary supplies to begin construction, which would typically take between four and six months, but due to the recent tariffs on materials such as steel, manufacture and delivery times for these items are still uncertain.
'We are very comfortable that, in 12 months, we can get the project done,' Patel said. 'We will sit down with the contractor . . . and talk about the process with them, to make sure that we can squeeze that time frame.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Causeway Park boat ramp in Port Orange to undergo renovation
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