The state had planned to reopen the Hingham boat ramp by Memorial Day, but officials now say it will take till the end of June or into July to finish the $2 million project.
The ramp — which is owned by the state, managed by the town, and located next to the Hingham Bathing Beach — provides the only public boat access to the harbor in the coastal town and is used primarily by recreational boaters, according to Douglas Cameron, director of the state Office of Fishing and Boating Access.
He blamed the delay on supply chain issues and said inflation had increased the cost. The work began in January, he said.
“It was long overdue, and in need of real repair,” Cameron said.
The project entails tearing off and replacing the existing concrete ramp, redoing the two-lane access to the ramp, and adding an elevated walkway that will make it easier for people to get in and out of boats, he said.
He said the new ramp should be done by the end of June, but the walkway may not be finished until sometime in July.
In the meantime, boaters use a state boat ramp on the Back River off Neck Street in Weymouth, or one in Scituate Harbor. The exact locations of other ramps can be found on the Fishing and Boating Access Sites page on the state’s Executive Office and Energy and Environmental Affairs website.
Johanna Seltz can be reached at [email protected].
