Boat launching facilities to be be upgraded at Point Walter and Deep Water Point

THE City of Melville is moving ahead with upgrades to boat launching facilities at Point Walter and Deep Water Point.

The council ticked off on the tender for the projects behind closed doors at a meeting on June 19, with Advanteering Civil Engineers given the job.

Upgrades at both locations will have similar designs and improvements, including improved approach and reversing ramps, two separated lanes for launching and retrievals and finger jetties.

The Department of Transport’s contribution will be up to $1.4 million, with the City providing up to $470,000 towards the projects.

Chief executive Shayne Silcox said boat ramps at both sites had deteriorated and reached the end of their useful life.

“In 2012 an assessment of the Point Walter ramp clearly identified the boat ramp needed to be either refurbished or replaced,” he said.

“A later survey at Deep Water Point in 2015 also identified a clear need for the boat ramp to be improved.

“As there is no doubt that boating facilities are in high demand both along the Perth river and coast, and given the deterioration of both boat ramps since the 2012 and 2015 assessments, the decision to replace and upgrade both facilities was seen as the most viable option.”

The Deep Water Point project is expected to be completed in early October while the Point Walter Project is likely to be finished in early December.