Bowmanville boat launch getting $500,000 facelift this summer

Clarington is spending half a million dollars to reconstruct Bowmanville’s boat launch this summer.

Council awarded the contract to Envision Excavating Ltd. for the reconstruction of the Port Darlington Boat Launch and parking lot in Bowmanville, with a total bid of $508,253.55, which includes the survey, permits, fish rescue, material testing and contingencies as well.

The breakdown of the project has $383,200 dedicated for the boat launch work and $215,000 for the parking lot resurfacing.

The work includes the reconstruction of the boat launch, a new staircase from the parking lot to the ramp, reconstruction of the parking lot, repairing the grading transition on a segment of the Waterfront Trail and landscaping improvements.

The successful project bid came in on budget, a big improvement on last summer, when the work was delayed when bids came in $460,000 higher than expected due to inflationary pressures throughout the industry.

The boat launch reconstruction will begin once the in-water works window opens at the beginning of July, as per regulatory restrictions. The project has a contract completion date of September 28, depending on weather and other factors.

While the Bowmanville boat launch is closed for repair, a free public boat launch is open at Bond Head Parkette on Boulton Street in Newcastle. There is also a provincial boat launch in Darlington Provincial Park and a private boat launch at the Port of Newcastle Marina.