Two floating piers will have slips for 70 boats
Jefferson Parish officials have announced the beginning of construction on a permanent marina in Bucktown serving commercial and recreational fishers.
Larry Snyder and Kirk Delacroix carry a crate of crabs along the temporary floating dock in Bucktown last year. The dock is tricky to walk on, much less carrying a load of seafood. A permanent dock may be in the works. A groundbreaking ceremony will mark the launch of the $3.3 million project on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. The work will add an entrance road to the Bucktown harbor off Old Hammond Highway near the Coast Guard Station and paved parking with lighting and landscaping. It will provide two floating piers with slips for 70 boats, about 40 for recreational fishers and 30 for commercial fishers. It will also add water, electrical and sewer service to the site.
Jefferson officials said the job will take until July to complete. Advance Quality Construction, Inc. is building the upgrades, which are financed by money from the Louisiana Recovery Authority and Jefferson Parish government.
This marks the end of a long wait for the historic Bucktown commercial fishing fleet, which lost its home in the mouth of the 17th Street Canal after Hurricane Katrina, operated for a time from the Bonnabel Boat Launch in Metairie and later returned to Bucktown with temporary floating docks. Plans have been in the works for years to build the fleet a permanent home.
The new facility will be expandable up to six piers and 254 boat slips if officials later find the money for the expansion.