Meeting Moved to Oct 8th: Wetlands and Coastal Dune Board to Review Proposed Harbor Launch Ramp Project

UPDATE: MEETING HAS BEEN MOVED TO: Wed, Oct 8 2025, 5:30pm

CAPE CHARLES, Va. — The Cape Charles Wetlands and Coastal Dune Board will hold a regular meeting on Oct. 8th at 5:30 p.m. at the Cape Charles Civic Center to review a proposed construction project impacting jurisdictional waters within Cape Charles Harbor.

The application under consideration involves the permanent installation of a large-scale launching ramp by Coastal Precast Systems, LLC (CPS), intended to support ongoing and future marine construction activities, including work on the Key Bridge components.

According to documents submitted to the board, CPS is proposing to construct a 120-foot-wide by 462-foot-long concrete launching ramp that would impact approximately 0.34 acres of open water and rocky intertidal habitat. The ramp would be built on the southern side of Cape Charles Harbor, with the project requiring 10,549 square feet of subaqueous bottom to be filled and retained by a 330-foot steel sheet pile wall. Riprap toe protection will be installed to reinforce the structure, encroaching on an additional 4,374 square feet of subaqueous bottom.

CPS also plans to install six permanent 12-inch diameter timber piles around the ramp with signage to warn mariners of the underwater structure. The company is requesting that the ramp remain in place permanently after completion of the bridge components to serve as a haul-out and maintenance point for large barges.

In addition to the ramp, six temporary moorings are proposed to the west of the new structure. These moorings will be used to stage precast concrete units prior to their transport up the Chesapeake Bay.

While portions of the proposed project extend into man-made areas of the harbor, the launching ramp lies on the eastern side of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) demarcation line. Two temporary mooring points fall on or west of that line.

Environmental assessments included in the application indicate no impacts to vegetated tidal wetlands and minimal disturbance to shallow-water habitats, which are limited in the immediate project area. Additionally, evaluations found no likely adverse effects on historic properties, archaeological sites, or threatened and endangered species.

Due to the total affected area remaining under the 0.5-acre threshold, the project may qualify for a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) general permit. The findings and supporting documentation are included in the permit application now before the board.

The Wetlands and Coastal Dune Board will accept public input on the proposal during the September 17 meeting. The Civic Center is located at 500 Tazewell Avenue.

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Wayne Creed

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