Published: September 13, 2006 04:46 pm      

Boat ramp construction begins near Charlestown

Ramp will be one of the largest in the area

The Charlestown area will soon have access to a resource it hasn’t had in about 60 years: The Ohio River.

Crews have begun the construction of a new Ohio River boat ramp at Charlestown State Park. The $2.8 million project will include a 75-foot-wide ramp that will provide five launching lanes for area boaters.

The ramp will be one of the largest available on a section of the Ohio River that is heavily used by recreational boaters, a Indiana Department of Natural Resources news release says. A 98-car parking lot, and two river overlooks will also be included in the project.

The boat ramp project has been in the works for about the last four years, said Mike List, division planner for the department. It’s getting started now that land has been acquired and bids have come back.

Construction is expected to continue through spring and into early summer. It will start with the reconstruction of three miles of roads from the park to the site of the new launching ramp. As a part of that process, a new two-lane bridge will be constructed on Jenny Lind Run. The new bridge will replace the single-lane bridge that sits on the road.

New Albany-based MAC Construction & Excavating is the contractor for the project.

Most of the cost will be paid with state money. Although, List said, the state will be applying to have about one-third of the cost reimbursed through the Federal Aid in Sport Fishing Restoration Act.

The Act supports projects that enhance fisheries and access for recreational fishing.

On the Web

• www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/properties/park_charlestown.html