Bridgeport Ramp extended

I saw in the crappie section where the TRWD is extending the ramp at the Dam....
Does any one know if its open yet or when the opening is planned?

You might pm Keith Bunch, he lives half mile from the sight.

A new section of concrete was poured to tie into the old asphalt ramp under the water. The gate was still closed as of yesterday. The question is how far does the old ramp go out. Also, won't be the easiest launch, very narrow and FULL of rocks.

certainly not ideal

but at least their is an alternate to the 380 ramp

talked with jeff, he said according to his sonar, the ramp goes out about 15-20 more feet...

i was in there last year looking at the ramp and found the rocks.... some 1-2 feet under and big

water is a little lower now Caution is the word for sure

im going to give it a try next time on bridgeport

I haven't had the opportunity to see what they have done yet. I hope they removed those big rocks that I showed them about 25 to 30 ft. out in the water. If not the ramp won't be good for most people. There won't be enough room to beach your boat to park your truck. If you can't back straight for 100 ft. don't even try it. It's a long way to the water. When you are backing in right at the shoreline you will probably need to turn your trailer to the south a little to avoid the rocky shore to the north. There's the long rocky point on the north and a lot of big rocks to the south, just a lane one boat wide through to deeper water. Plus a long walk from the parking. It should help with relieving the crowd at the 380 ramp though. I'm looking forward to using it myself. Tight lines! Jeff

Well I walked the ramp at the dam today. It is 297 ft. from the sign to the water.
Long way to back a trailer for a lot of folks.
Also, they did NOT pull all the rocks out. They pulled them to the south and made a wall of them.
Why? I don't know.
There is only room to beach one boat at a time, so be prepared to wait awhile when loading and unloading.
It will be a week or so before they open the gate so we can use the ramp, according to TRWD.

Talked with the Bridgeport lake super today. They are doing work on the parking lot. He said the gate would open in a week or two. It will still be a difficult launch for some folks. I guess we will all have to have some patients (sp?) if we use this ramp.
Tight lines
jeff

Cant wait to get there and try it out

Well, more delays! Wouldn't you know it, government red tape. The "powers that be" keep adding to the things they want done to the ramp and parking areas, before opening the ramp to the public. They also want to finish the twin points project before spring arrives. It would be nice if they extended the new ramp at twin points, but haven't heard anything about that. Which means Bridgeport takes a backseat for now. It may be the lake will fill before they get around to finishing both projects. But according to them " it will at least be ready to use if the lake ever gets this low again". lol I'm sure there is some sort of thought process going on but I'm darned if I can figure it out. At least they are attempting to make some much needed repairs.

Tight lines! Jeff

Dangit. I wish they would at least open the gate to the parking area. I can launch my kayak just about anywhere but I need a place to park.

Told me they were going to post signs, etc. Vehicles with trailers can park wherever, but any without trailers will have to park on top of the hill. That's a long walk but better than paddling from 380 bridge.
I guess to be sure there is enough room for boat trailers to turn around and park. going to block off the area to the south of the dock so no parking there anymore. too many people backing in too far and getting stuck in the loose gravel.

I won't mind the walk because it will beat paddling from 380. Keep us posted on when it opens.

Funny what they are worried about these days. Jeff, I know you remember going up and down that ramp when the road was just dirt. Real adventure when it was wet. The parking rule is a good one though....even though liked the back in spot on the South side.

Yes, I remember the rock ledge about half way up with the little dip right below it! If you didn't hit it just right you would definitely spin out. I used to get up speed right off the ramp and shoot up to the top then stop and tie everything down. It's certainly better now and should be better when they finish these repairs, except for the blocked off spaces south of the dock.

Checked today no progress made , guess the weather shut down any work this week .. understandable ..

did notice the ramp 1/2 way down on the right ( when facing the water) has broken down and is now a bigger problem. didnt look like there is any base material under it ...
just a crack in the ramp wouldnt be that big on an issue ...
now it appears the broken area needs to be removed , base material replaced and new concrete put in .....
as stated earlier it should be better when they finish the repairs ...

We are patiently waiting ....

Any updates. It's starting to warm up and I'm getting the itch.

I haven't heard from them yet. I did hear they are close to finishing the Twin Points project from a friend. Supposedly, they were going to try to finish Bridgeport projects soon. I'm sure all that snow, ice, rain, and other bad words held them up on some of the repairs they had planned. The lake really needs all the moisture it can get, so I don't begrudge them the precip. Just wish it would do it all at once and get it over with. Maybe they will get a few days of clear weather to get it finished. The ramp at the 380 Bridge is still open but it's a long haul to deeper water. I haven't been up there in a few weeks, visiting other lakes for while. People want to go to PK and Texoma so, "have boat will travel". lol
Tight Lines, Jeff

Thanks for the info. Hopefully the gate will be open soon. I don't need a ramp, just a place to park my truck.

They told me they would not open the gates until it is all done. They might change their minds. They might not. I don't KNOW any more than they told me. You can park on the hill and carry all your stuff down, or let it slide down. Don't know how heavy it is. Just might have trouble carrying it back up the hill. That's 300 ft. of ramp and 200 or so up to the top. lol

I already did that once. I parked at the top of the hill and took my kayak all the way down to the water and called a buddy and asked if he thought that I would be ok. He told me that the enforcement of parking regulations was pretty strict out there and that the folks at that nearby church might complain. So I loaded everything back up, climbed the hill and went to the Wise Co park instead. Do the folks at that church at the top of the hill mind people parking up there adjacent to the gate? I don't mind the haul I just don't want to get cited/towed. Anyone have any experience with this or know the name of that church (maybe I could call and ask someone there)?

Kayakers and others have done a fine job of keeping the area up there clean. I am not aware of any parking restrictions there. It could always change if there is a lot of traffic there in the future, but so far so good. I would go ahead and fish.

+1 ^ What keith said, but I would be sure not to park in front of the gate. Not that you would, but some one might and spoil it for you. The things we do to enjoy our fun times. lol

Once it warms up a little more I'll give it a try. I parked in the grassy area west of the gate. I may try that again and just leave a note on my truck with my number on the dash just in case. It's a nice little hike up the ramp but it will be worth it if I get into some sand bass action like I have in the past.

TRWD called me Friday pm and told me they were opening the gate to the ramp at the Bridgeport dam. They are about finished with the projects they wanted to do there. He said they had a few more signs to put up, but that could be done anytime. There are rocks just under the surface to the south of the ramp. Only room for one boat to beach right now. The water has risen a little and you may not see those rocks. I could see them just under the surface before the water level rose. They will only be 1 1/2' to 2' below the surface. They extend out about 35 ft. from the shore. Jet ski trailers and anyone who is not very experienced at backing, please use 380 ramp. It is 300 ft. from the top to the water line and one lane. Please don't cause others to have to wait for you to figure out you are unable to back that far. It's going to be fun videoing you and submitting it to worlds funniest videos on national tv. Only one boat at a time will be able to unload and beach to park their truck. They asked if anyone sees folks throwing out or leaving their trash to please ask them to pick up after themselves. They don't have an attendant to clean up after everyone.
Hey, 9 months from the time I talked with them about fixing the ramp to it being opened is not quite as bad as the federal governments schedule.
At least now we have an alternative to the 380 ramp.