Construction to begin on DNREC’s new Cedar Creek Boat Ramp
Delaware contractor to build new facility east of Milford 

MILFORD (Nov. 8, 2011) – After reviewing bids for construction of the new Cedar Creek Boat Ramp near Milford, the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife today announced the contractor will be Kuhn Construction of Hockessin. To begin construction, the current facility will be closed to the public beginning Monday, Nov. 28.

Funding for the new Cedar Creek facility consists of 75 percent federal Sport Fish Restoration funds allocated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and 25 percent state matching funds from fishing and boating license fees. Project costs are estimated at approximately $3.2 million.

“Improving access to the remarkable natural resources of the Delaware Bayshore is a top priority, and this project will expand recreational opportunities and greatly enhance water access in the Bayshore area east of Milford,” said DNREC Secretary Collin O’Mara.

“When completed this beautiful new facility will provide anglers and boaters with greatly improved access for many years to come,” said Project Manager Lacy Nichols, noting that doing construction in phases was considered in order to keep part of the facility open, but the additional cost was prohibitive – $400,000 or more.

Like the recently completed Lewes Boat Ramp, the new Cedar Creek facility has been designed following national standards and guidelines developed by the States Organization for Boating Access, and will be barrier free, meeting all Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations for accessibility. The facility will feature eight 16-foot wide concrete launch lanes with a deep V groove finish, and five full-floatation, low-maintenance aluminum boarding docks and one full-floatation aluminum courtesy dock with an aluminum gangway connected to a 30-foot timber walkway.

Ample parking will be provided in a lighted and striped eco-turf parking area including 148 car/trailer spaces, 13 handicapped access spaces, 10 single car spaces, seven staging spaces and six spaces reserved for enforcement/fire rescue/emergency vehicles. The new facility also will include an approved stormwater management system with about 8,800 square feet of wetland plantings.

The existing facility, which is one of the busiest boat launch locations in the state, has exceeded its useful lifespan, Nichols added, with the 6-lane portion built in the early 1970s and the original 2-lane launch area even older. The facility was repaired in the early 1990s and is now due for a full replacement.

When completed next year, the Cedar Creek Boat Ramp will help advance the goals of the Delaware Bayshore Initiative, an exciting new project proposed by Secretary O’Mara which seeks to preserve, promote and enhance our state’s complex of waterways, wetlands and open space associated with Delaware Bay through conservation and restoration of resources; low-impact recreation and ecotourism, and connectivity with communities; and public engagement and marketing of the area. Last week, the Delaware National Bayshore plan received national recognition as one of two Delaware projects included in a 50-state report from the U.S. Department of the Interior outlining some of the country’s most promising ways to reconnect Americans to the natural world.

During Cedar Creek’s construction closure, two alternate water access areas suggested for anglers and boaters are nearby Bowers Beach, which has four launch lanes and ample parking, and the Lewes Boat Ramp, a new six-lane facility completed in 2009 and located at the end of Pilottown Road in Lewes.

For regular updates on the Cedar Creek Boat Ramp project, visit http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/fw/Fisheries/Pages/Fishing-Boating-Access.aspx .

Vol. 41, No. 433