Project Overview
Over the past several years, non-motorized boating has expanded and the East End Beach boating facilities in Portland, Maine, are over capacity. The City of Portland, in partnership with local community organizations, retained Collins to assist in the planning and design process for a separate access point for non-motorized boats on East End Beach.
The new access point will be sited, designed, and dedicated to serve non-motorized boating. This will alleviate congestion at the existing floats; expand opportunities for human-powered water sports; and help maintain safety and capacity for motorized, trailered boating at the existing ramp facility. Prior to the project’s start, over 6,000 trips by kayak, dinghy, or stand-up paddleboard occur at the East End Beach facility between May and October.
Collins is providing technical input relating to site planning factors including wind, wave, and tidal conditions; regulatory permitting issues; suitability of various materials and structure types to the site; and cost estimating including initial construction and long-term maintenance costs. Collins representatives attended meetings with working groups, stakeholder groups, and the public as part of the planning and public outreach process.
Collins is also providing construction documents including construction plans, technical specifications, and refined opinions of probable construction costs. Collins performed a hydrographic survey of the waterway area affected by the proposed construction.
Construction is expected to be complete by the end of 2018.