PENDLETON — Contractors working with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will be expanding the boat ramp at the popular access to the Arkansas River beside Pendleton Bridge in Desha County during the next few weeks.

Construction of the new concrete ramp must be completed in sections, with each section requiring time to be poured, harden and cure before it is pushed into position and anchored in place. Construction crews are hopeful that they will be able to complete the job by June 30, but rain and river conditions may alter that timeline.

“The public ramp will have to be closed while the construction is taking place,” said Jason Olive, Assistant Chief of Fisheries for the AGFC. “But the work should not interfere with people’s ability to launch from the privately owned ramp adjacent to the AGFC access.”

Olive says when complete, the expanded ramp will have room to launch two boats at a time and will have a new courtesy boat dock to help anglers launch and load boats without pulling up on any concrete or rocks along the bank. The dock will be built in a way that it can be moved if the river rises too high.

“We regret the timing of the construction, but this project is something many anglers have requested for a long time,” Olive said. “This should complement the weigh-in facility and other improvements to this popular location for anglers in one of the best pools of the Arkansas River for fishing.”

Randy Zellers
Assistant Chief of Communications
E: Randy.zellers@agfc.ar.gov | P: (501) 223-6406 | M: (501) 804-8422