County using state REDI funds for rebuilt boat launch, shoreline work by Lakeshore Road
Provided photos: Orleans County will install about 1,500 feet of rocks along Lakeshore Road in Carlton to protect the road from further erosion.
CARLTON – Orleans County is moving forward with two public works projects in Carlton that are part of the Lake Ontario Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative (REDI), a $300 million state-wide effort.
The county will be redoing the public boat launch at Point Breeze, the one near the Black North Inn, and also will be stabilizing the shoreline along about 1,500 feet of Lakeshore Road.
The high Lake Ontario water levels in 2017 and 2019 chewed away the shoreline by Lakeshore Road, east of Point Breeze.
The state will pay 95 percent of the costs through REDI, a state program announced last year to protect public infrastructure and assets from Lake Ontario flooding.
The county is working with engineers on design to prepare the projects for bid.
• The Lakeshore Road project will cost an estimated $2 million. The county will hire a contractor to re-establish the shoreline, which was eroded from the high water levels in 2017 and 2019.
Big rocks will be brought in for about 1,500 feet of the shoreline by the road, east of Route 98. The project also includes drainage improvements along the road, said John Papponetti, the county’s DPW superintendent.
Work on that project is expected to start in the fall. The county is responsible for 5 percent of the costs.
• Point Breeze Boat Launch: The county also will upgraded the public boat launch at Point Breeze, a project estimated to cost $750,000.
The county will be replacing the ramp, the two boat launches and the docks at the site.
When the lake levels are high, the boat launch is useless for boaters because their vehicles flood out trying to launch a boat.
The project includes floatable walkways which will tie into a concrete ramp. The current concrete ramp will be removed and a new one put in that will be pulled farther back on land.
The contractor will likely need to set up a coffer dam and pump out water during construction to work on the project. The launch will be regraded and concrete poured for the new ramps and docks.
The project also includes milling and paving the driveway and parking lot.
Construction is expected in the fall after the boating season with a goal to be done next spring before the start of a new boating season, Papponetti said.
