Georgia Department of Natural Resources(GADNR)/Coastal Resources Division (CRD) has announced that after suffering catastrophic damage during Hurricane Irma, the public dock at the boat ramp in Sunbury, Georgia is fully repaired and ready for use. 

The Sunbury dock was completely removed by wind and waves generated during Hurricane Irma in September of 2017. Repair of the facility was accomplished in several stages over the last ten months.  The ramp at Sunbury was not impacted by the hurricane and was cleared for use by personnel at Liberty County within weeks of the storm. 

The damaged Sunbury dock materials were removed from the marsh and taken to a nearby facility for assessment. When construction on the new dock began, contractors used the old undamaged materials wherever possible. “The new dock has also been put in place using improved attachment hardware and techniques and should be much more resistant to this type of storm damage in the future,” said Eddie Leonard, Boating Access Coordinator for CRD.

According to Leonard some minor repairs will be ongoing to retrofit the undamaged portion of the dock with the hardware upgrades but the dock is now safe and open for business. Repairs were made using fishing license revenue but reimbursement of these funds has been applied for through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

DNR reminds boaters that use of Sunbury boat ramp and all GADNR public docks is limited to recreational purposes only and boats may not tie to the dock for more than 30 minutes.   

For more information contact GADNR/Coastal Resources Division at (912)264-7218.