Sunday, October 5, 2014

A way to get past the Lake Worth spillway?

Planning work is well underway for this watercraft access project through the C-51 canal. That is the canal that runs along the Lake Worth northern border it shares with West Palm Beach. Spillway Park might be the location of the required boat lift. Click title for link. From the article:
A way for tens of thousands of boaters to get past the spillway of the C-51 Canal, along the West Palm Beach-Lake Worth line, soon could be closer to reality.
For the past year, cities have been studying the idea of a lift over the spillway that would let boaters move from inland freshwater lakes and canals into the Lake Worth Lagoon and on to the Atlantic. Access would be limited to small boats, with low profiles, because of low clearances at bridges and utility lines that run over canals.
The Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council began a formal study about six weeks ago, using $30,000 from the Metropolitan Planning Organization.
[Later...]
West Palm Beach Commissioner Shanon Materio, who represents the south end of West Palm Beach and owns a business in Lake Worth, estimates as many as 65,000 people with boats are “upstream” of the spillway, and their only option now is to load their crafts onto a trailer.
“Can you imagine going up and getting access to the Intracoastal Waterway through the chain of lakes?” Lake Clarke Shores Vice Mayor Robert Shalhoub said.