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Two new launch ramps could lure more boaters to the South Bay
Tom Stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle
June 5, 2003
The South Bay has been the undiscovered country of boating because of poor access, but two new launch ramps could eventually change that.
A boat ramp for the South Beach area in San Francisco (south of Pacific Bell Park) has been approved for the long term, and another for Alviso, just a half mile from Highway 237, will likely be constructed by 2005.
The time line for the new San Francisco ramp is undetermined. The project has been approved with the Port of San Francisco, but realignment of an access road and a complex permit process could extend completion of the project for years. That will not be the case with the new ramp in Alviso, which is on a two-year timetable. The project will be formally approved and funded next week as a formality with the Department of Boating and Waterways.
"This has been 10 years in the workings," said Russ Robinson, president of Recreational Boaters of California. "The South Bay can be a tremendous recreational resource. This is the key to unlocking it."
"These are crucial boat ramps, both for providing access, or from safety standpoint, if somebody gets in trouble, it provides a way out," Robinson said.
The new boat ramp in Alviso will be located on the Guadalupe River adjacent to the South Bay Yacht Club, and includes a new parking area and boat pump out. A previous ramp, located on a nearby slough, was silted in and rendered unusable at low tides in the early 1980s. It was finally closed permanently five years ago.
The permitting process for the Alviso ramp has started through the Army Corps of Engineers and the Bay Conservation and Development Commission. Santa Clara County links the plan to a project for flood control and native wetlands restoration.
Robinson said that the project would cost about $2.5 million, with $2.2 million in grants from the Department of Boating, accrued primarily from boating registration fees. Another $200,000 has already been paid by Santa Clara County and California Coastal Conservancy to start the planning process.
Because the boat ramp is tied to native plant restoration, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is supporting the project.
Tom Stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle
June 5, 2003
The South Bay has been the undiscovered country of boating because of poor access, but two new launch ramps could eventually change that.
A boat ramp for the South Beach area in San Francisco (south of Pacific Bell Park) has been approved for the long term, and another for Alviso, just a half mile from Highway 237, will likely be constructed by 2005.
The time line for the new San Francisco ramp is undetermined. The project has been approved with the Port of San Francisco, but realignment of an access road and a complex permit process could extend completion of the project for years. That will not be the case with the new ramp in Alviso, which is on a two-year timetable. The project will be formally approved and funded next week as a formality with the Department of Boating and Waterways.
"This has been 10 years in the workings," said Russ Robinson, president of Recreational Boaters of California. "The South Bay can be a tremendous recreational resource. This is the key to unlocking it."
"These are crucial boat ramps, both for providing access, or from safety standpoint, if somebody gets in trouble, it provides a way out," Robinson said.
The new boat ramp in Alviso will be located on the Guadalupe River adjacent to the South Bay Yacht Club, and includes a new parking area and boat pump out. A previous ramp, located on a nearby slough, was silted in and rendered unusable at low tides in the early 1980s. It was finally closed permanently five years ago.
The permitting process for the Alviso ramp has started through the Army Corps of Engineers and the Bay Conservation and Development Commission. Santa Clara County links the plan to a project for flood control and native wetlands restoration.
Robinson said that the project would cost about $2.5 million, with $2.2 million in grants from the Department of Boating, accrued primarily from boating registration fees. Another $200,000 has already been paid by Santa Clara County and California Coastal Conservancy to start the planning process.
Because the boat ramp is tied to native plant restoration, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is supporting the project.
