Belleair Boat Ramp Park closing

By LORRI HELFAND
Published February 14, 2007

---

BELLEAIR BLUFFS - A popular boat ramp and fishing spot off the Belleair Beach Causeway will shut down next week to allow for construction of a new causeway.

Belleair Boat Ramp Park at 3900 West Bay Drive will be closed to all vehicles, boats and pedestrians for 2 1/2 years.

The inconvenience is unavoidable because the park will be used as a staging area for construction, said Mary Burrell, a county spokeswoman. Traffic to and from the beach will not be disturbed because the new bridge will be built north of the current structure.

The $72.2-million, 1.67-mile causeway will replace two existing bridges: one that spans the Intracoastal Waterway and a second, smaller bridge that goes over a relief channel.

The 5-acre park, which opened in 1965, has seven docks, eight boat ramp lanes and about 150 parking spaces. About 797,000 vehicles visit the park each year.

Fast Facts:

Where to launch

Try these other county-run ramps in mid & south Pinellas:

Park Boulevard Boat Ramp Park: 18651 Gulf Blvd., Indian Shores

War Veterans' Memorial Park: 9600 Bay Pines Blvd., St. Petersburg

Fort De Soto Park: 3500 Pinellas Bayway S, Tierra Verde