Lee County continues to work toward reopening the popular Punta Rassa boat ramp in late summer or early fall following the completion of the Florida Department of Transportation’s work on the Sanibel Causeway.

The boat ramp parking area has been used as a staging area for the project to restore the Sanibel Causeway and make it more resilient following the damage from Hurricane Ian in 2022. FDOT is expected to turn the parking lot back over to Lee County in late spring or early summer.

On Tuesday, the Lee Board of County Commissions voted to award a $1.6 million contract for Phase 1 restoration of the boat ramp, which will include all underground facilities such as water lines, fire hydrant lines, fish cleaning lift station discharge lines, ADA ramp, irrigation and other associated utilities. This portion of the project will be funded through the General Fund and the Florida Division of Emergency Management Legislative Appropriations Program Fund.

Underground facilities are expected to begin in March 2025. FDOT is expected to complete the paving operation of the facility in July 2025. At that time, final striping and signage for the parking lot will begin which is expected to take 4 weeks to complete, allowing the facility to be open to the public.

Construction of Phase 2 of the project, expected to begin this summer, includes installing a fish cleaning station with a shade structure, repairing the northern, middle and southern docks, as well as new landscaping. That work is planned to be complete in the fall.

To stay up to date on Lee County Parks & Recreation capital projects and major maintenance efforts, view the Parks Project Information Tool at leeparks.org.

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