Government officials will cut the ribbon on Lee County’s Punta Rass Boat Ramp Thursday, August 21st at 10AM. It’s the soft reopening of the restored facility and will coincide with the conclusion of the Florida Department of Transportation’s Sanibel Causeway Emergency Restoration project.
The boat ramp will open for public use at noon Thursday with limited amenities, including the ramp, partial docks, parking and restrooms. Work will continue at the site in the coming months.
Future improvements include completed dock access, a fish cleaning station, landscaping and additional lighting. Signs and buffers will be in place during this process. Boaters are asked to stay off docks that remain under construction and refrain from climbing on the riprap along the Causeway. Lee County Parks & Recreation will have staff and rangers on site.
This is the first time since Hurricane Ian that boaters have been able to access the Punta Rassa ramp. In partnership with FDOT, the Punta Rassa Boat Ramp served as a staging site for permanent Sanibel Causeway repairs and was pivotal in the restoration of this arterial road connecting barrier islands to the mainland. The soft reopening of this site marks the completion of a major step forward in long-term recovery.