Construction begins in Annapolis on ADA-compliant floating dock

Annapolis will soon get a floating dock that is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), with construction on the project starting Monday. 

The Eastport Floating Dock will be located at the end of 6th Street in Eastport on the Back Creek side. The project is expected to take three weeks to complete, according to city officials. 

Once it's complete, the Eastport dock will join two other ADA-compliant floating piers and marinas in Annapolis, including one at the Annapolis Adaptive Boating Center, which features accessible boarding equipment like lifts and transfer slides, and 140 feet of raised floating docks. 

The Truxtun Park Boat Ramp at 251 Cipriano Road on Spa Creek also features an ADA-compliant walkway, which leads to an accessible floating dock that can be used for fishing and dinghy access. 

The Eastport floating dock project, which costs $440,000, is being funded by a $350,000 grant from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources State Waterway Improvement program, $65,000 in Annapolis bonds and $25,000 in capital reserves, city officials said. 

The project comes as Anne Arundel County also looks to expand its access to public boat ramps, especially after closing and reopening the ramp at Discovery Village, the only public ramp close to some residents. The ramp closed just before the Fourth of July weekend last year, and later reopened under a new agreement and with reduced costs.