Bird Creek Boat Ramp offers a spectacular view for visitors, especially at sunset. Photo by Linda Dean Cooper.
By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter
Plans for reopening one of Levy County’s most popular boat ramps near Yankeetown have been pushed back a week due to expected heavy rainfall Friday and to allow time for striping of the expanded parking lot.
The revised opening date for the Bird Creek Boat Ramp is 11 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 28. The public is invited. Levy County Commissioners will be on hand to dedicate the ramp.
Contractors are striping the parking lot to accommodate 48 boats and trailers. Three boat and trailer slots are reserved for handicapped visitors. The parking lot has 9 slots for regular cars, including three for handicapped drivers.
County Coordinator Wilbur Dean said the boat ramp, located at the end of County Road 40, has been redesigned and rebuilt with a $650,000 appropriation from the Florida Legislature and more than $100,000 of county impact fees.
The boat ramp was originally constructed with interlocking blocks over a foundation. The blocks began to loosen over the years leaving gaps that caused problems for boaters launching their boats.
Dewberry Engineering has overseen the design and rebuilding of the ramp. The facility gives boaters direct access to the Gulf of Mexico on navigable waters close to Yankeetown, Inglis and Marion and Citrus counties.
The old ramp was divided in half by a short concrete wall. The new ramp is 34 feet wide from piling to piling with no center wall. The ramp provides enough space for two boats to be launched at the same time.
Dean said the boat ramp is adjacent to the Withlacoochee River and the county has added wider and longer docks on both sides to protect boats from the swift current of the river as they are being launched.
“One of the things we did with this design was because of the swift current of the river that would push boats to one side or the other as they were trying to load up and idle, we extended the boat ramp on both sides. You don’t get the cross current effect on the guys trying to load their boats,” Dean said.
Bird Creek Boat Ramp lies next to Bird Creek County Park, a small recreational facility popular with anglers and people who enjoy the peace and quiet while watching wildlife.
Levy County Commissioners have received a $2.6 million Florida Department of Transportation grant to resurface CR 40 from U.S. 19 to Bird Creek Boat Ramp.
Alice LaLonde, Levy County Road Department administrative manager, said the county is working on obtaining a permit for widening CR 40 as part of the resurfacing project.
The proposal is to widen the road from the four corners area of Yankeetown to Bird Creek Boat Ramp, a three-mile stretch. The road passes through wetlands areas. Permits will be needed from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Southwest Florida Water Management District before widening can occur.
Dean said the resurfacing of CR 40 and the redesign and rebuilding of Bird Creek Boat Ramp were planned as a related project aimed at improving the public’s access to the Gulf of Mexico. He said the full county commission was on board with linking the two projects for the improvement of recreational opportunities for the boaters and anglers.
Matt Weldon, county parks and recreation and mosquito control director, has worked closely with Dean and Dewberry Engineering on the boat ramp project. LaLonde has been their administrative contact for the related CR 40 resurfacing project.
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Board of County Commission Regular Meeting August 18, 2020; Posted August 20, 2020
