NASBLA Roundtable

Hello all, 

I was wondering if anyone is aware of any boat ramps located throughout the US that have weight restrictions, similar to how some bridges/roads have vehicle weight limits. If so, what is the weight limit, the location of the boat ramp (freshwater/marine), the typical usage (recreational/commercial), and the boat ramp material of construction (granite blocks, concrete planks, etc.)? Examples including any other restrictions that may apply, signage, and specific language would be greatly appreciated as well! 

For background, we have been made aware of construction equipment using a boat ramp to load a vessel with heavy materials such as rip rap. Aside from being an inappropriate use of the ramp and preventing boaters from access, we are worried that the weight of the machinery will damage the ramp's concrete planks. While I am working on confirming the loading capacity of the planks themselves, I want to make sure we choose a weight that does not restrict many boaters. This ramp accesses a marine waterway and there is a second nearby ramp currently under re-construction that can support larger vessels that may be over capacity once it reopens.  Both ramps are primarily used for recreational boating, such as pontoon boats and sailboats. Smaller fishing boats also use the ramp, but larger commercial scale / offshore fishing boats typically do not.  

Our team initially presented the idea of implementing a weight restriction, but in my research I have found that vehicle related weight restrictions are based on axles. Instead of applying a weight restriction perhaps we should consider just limiting the ramp to use by 2 axle vehicles instead? (Assuming most construction equipment is tri-axle, this seems simpler.)

Thank you! 

Hello all, 

I was wondering if anyone is aware of any boat ramps located throughout the US that have weight restrictions, similar to how some bridges/roads have vehicle weight limits. If so, what is the weight limit, the location of the boat ramp (freshwater/marine), the typical usage (recreational/commercial), and the boat ramp material of construction (granite blocks, concrete planks, etc.)? Examples including any other restrictions that may apply, signage, and specific language would be greatly appreciated as well! 

For background, we have been made aware of construction equipment using a boat ramp to load a vessel with heavy materials such as rip rap. Aside from being an inappropriate use of the ramp and preventing boaters from access, we are worried that the weight of the machinery will damage the ramp's concrete planks. While I am working on confirming the loading capacity of the planks themselves, I want to make sure we choose a weight that does not restrict many boaters. This ramp accesses a marine waterway and there is a second nearby ramp currently under re-construction that can support larger vessels that may be over capacity once it reopens.  Both ramps are primarily used for recreational boating, such as pontoon boats and sailboats. Smaller fishing boats also use the ramp, but larger commercial scale / offshore fishing boats typically do not.  

Our team initially presented the idea of implementing a weight restriction, but in my research I have found that vehicle related weight restrictions are based on axles. Instead of applying a weight restriction perhaps we should consider just limiting the ramp to use by 2 axle vehicles instead? (Assuming most construction equipment is tri-axle, this seems simpler.)

Thank you! 

Hello all, 

I was wondering if anyone is aware of any boat ramps located throughout the US that have weight restrictions, similar to how some bridges/roads have vehicle weight limits. If so, what is the weight limit, the location of the boat ramp (freshwater/marine), the typical usage (recreational/commercial), and the boat ramp material of construction (granite blocks, concrete planks, etc.)? Examples including any other restrictions that may apply, signage, and specific language would be greatly appreciated as well! 

For background, we have been made aware of construction equipment using a boat ramp to load a vessel with heavy materials such as rip rap. Aside from being an inappropriate use of the ramp and preventing boaters from access, we are worried that the weight of the machinery will damage the ramp's concrete planks. While I am working on confirming the loading capacity of the planks themselves, I want to make sure we choose a weight that does not restrict many boaters. This ramp accesses a marine waterway and there is a second nearby ramp currently under re-construction that can support larger vessels that may be over capacity once it reopens.  Both ramps are primarily used for recreational boating, such as pontoon boats and sailboats. Smaller fishing boats also use the ramp, but larger commercial scale / offshore fishing boats typically do not.  

Our team initially presented the idea of implementing a weight restriction, but in my research I have found that vehicle related weight restrictions are based on axles. Instead of applying a weight restriction perhaps we should consider just limiting the ramp to use by 2 axle vehicles instead? (Assuming most construction equipment is tri-axle, this seems simpler.)

Thank you! 

Hello all, 

I was wondering if anyone is aware of any boat ramps located throughout the US that have weight restrictions, similar to how some bridges/roads have vehicle weight limits. If so, what is the weight limit, the location of the boat ramp (freshwater/marine), the typical usage (recreational/commercial), and the boat ramp material of construction (granite blocks, concrete planks, etc.)? Examples including any other restrictions that may apply, signage, and specific language would be greatly appreciated as well! 

For background, we have been made aware of construction equipment using a boat ramp to load a vessel with heavy materials such as rip rap. Aside from being an inappropriate use of the ramp and preventing boaters from access, we are worried that the weight of the machinery will damage the ramp's concrete planks. While I am working on confirming the loading capacity of the planks themselves, I want to make sure we choose a weight that does not restrict many boaters. This ramp accesses a marine waterway and there is a second nearby ramp currently under re-construction that can support larger vessels that may be over capacity once it reopens.  Both ramps are primarily used for recreational boating, such as pontoon boats and sailboats. Smaller fishing boats also use the ramp, but larger commercial scale / offshore fishing boats typically do not.  

Our team initially presented the idea of implementing a weight restriction, but in my research I have found that vehicle related weight restrictions are based on axles. Instead of applying a weight restriction perhaps we should consider just limiting the ramp to use by 2 axle vehicles instead? (Assuming most construction equipment is tri-axle, this seems simpler.)

Thank you!