Construction on a new boat launch in Bowdoinham begins this week as part of the town’s waterfront redevelopment efforts.

The ramp will be located at 8 River Road, formerly home to the town’s public works facilities, providing access to the Cathance River for non-motorized boats. Bedard Excavation of South Paris will construct the ramp, including an access road, designated parking, and underground drainage and utilities.

Bowdoinham officials hope the new ramp, which is expected to cost around $78,000, will alleviate the foot traffic at the public motorized boat ramp in Mailly Waterfront Park and help prevent erosion of the shoreline. The boat launch is the first step of phase one in a four-phase plan to redevelop the waterfront.

Other elements in phase one include a picnic area, walking trails, general site restoration, boat trailer parking and new signs. Phase one will be paid in part by grants from the Small Harbor Improvement Program through the Maine Department of Transportation Local Project Administration Program and from the Boating Facilities Program, Bureau of Parks & Lands, under the Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry, according to Town Manager Nicole Briand.

In 1998, Bowdoinham acquired 10 acres with 1,500 feet of shoreline on the Cathance River intended for the public works department. In 2004, the town requested public works be relocated so the property could be used for recreation. In 2014, the town reestablished a Comprehensive Plan Committee to update the existing plan, and in 2018, Bowdoinham received a Coastal Communities Planning Grant for $45,750 to hire design consultants to create a master plan for the new waterfront.

Along with the non-motorized boat launch, the finalized plans include shoreline stabilization, new hiking trails, picnic areas, landscaping, observation decks, fire pits, and recreation spaces for volleyball, horseshoe and ice skating. The projected cost of the entire project is $2.2 million, according to a town document.

Briand said there is no projected completion date at this time but said the town will continue to seek additional grant funding to complete the project.