Nothing quite like northeasterly gusts carrying subzero windchill temperatures ashore to turn one’s thoughts fondly to the boating season.

But that’s exactly what East Coast Construction, the winning bidder on the Independence Park boat ramp project, will be working towards when they mobilize on site next week.

The existing ramp, thought to be over 30 years old, has degraded, creating a large drop off where it ends and the harbor floor begins.
The ramp will be completely rebuilt with pre-cast concrete slabs, and a new floating timber dock that will allow for much easier unloading of boats. “You won’t need a friend to help you unload and tie off a boat anymore,” Harbormaster Gregg Marsili said in the spring, before the project went out to bid.

The bid was awarded on October 16, 2024 for $1,601.207. The Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank Water Quality Grant will cover $495,988 of the cost, and the remainder will be paid for with a local bond.

Following the ramp repair, the work will continue in the parking area, which will include stormwater retention basins with sediment areas so that stormwater from the lot will filter into the ground instead of washing into the harbor. That will help the water quality in the harbor as well as reduce parking lot erosion over the long term.

Improvements will extend to the entrance of the parking lot and the end of the East Bay Bike Path, creating a safer and more aesthetically pleasing welcome to southbound cyclists.

The project is contractually required to be complete by the end of June.