CAMPBELL RIVER – Highly-anticipated upgrades to the Big Rock Boat Ramp will be constructed by Upland Contracting Ltd., following approval of a contract by City Council at the May 28 meeting.
The work, which includes all of the in-water improvements for the ramp, such as updates to the breakwaters and installation of a floating ramp system, is set to begin mid-June. The City is awaiting final approvals required by the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans and will proceed as soon as possible once these are received.
“The Big Rock boat ramp has needed attention and improvement for a long time, and Council is extremely pleased to see action on rebuilding this popular amenity,” said Mayor Andy Adams.
“Community members provided important input on how to make this facility better and more usable for both locals and visitors, and we all look forward to these improvements.”
This first phase of work will include raising the breakwaters and re-orienting the marine entrance, adding piles to attach the floating ramp system (already in production with CR Metal Fabricators), dredging the basin and refinishing the ramp. The upgrade requires that the ramp be closed from mid-June-October this year.
“We know it’s hard to close this ramp over the summer, but it’s the only time DFO allows us to work in the water as needed for this project,” said deputy city manager Ron Neufeld. “Thank you to everyone for their patience while we make this a better facility for the many years to come.”
The upgrades at Big Rock Boat Ramp are set to cost $2.1 million, and $1.37 million of that is for the contract approved May 28. The project is funded by the Community Works Fund Reserve (Federal Gas Tax funding) rather than local property taxation.
Phase two, which will include improvements to the land area of the launch (parking lot/park), is not scheduled for this summer. Timing will be determined by Council in the future and will be coordinated for construction along with highway upgrades in the area to minimize disruption.
This project is part of the larger Waterfront Project 2018-2020, which includes three key upgrades to the city’s southern waterfront entrance to downtown. Also underway this summer is construction for portion of a waterfront sewer upgrades.
For more info on the project and alternative boat launch options, please visit www.campbellriver.ca/bigrockboatramp.