Twin Bridges Boat Ramp

[Ranger Dave]

I talked to the Twin Bridges Park Manager (Chad McCall) today about the Twin Bridges Boat Ramp.  I initially called to complain that after 5 years of charging a $10 parking permit, the boat ramp was in poor repair and I wanted to know why some of the parking money was not being utilized to repair the ramp.  He told me the ramp had actually been repaired.  He said they poured a lot of concrete into the ramp recently to fill the holes and repair the leaning ramp.  However, I was a little disappointed to learn that there will be NO loading dock this year.  The log jam from last spring wiped out the loading dock and they won't replace it until the log jam is removed.  According to Chad, a big percentage of the log jam still exists and is stacked up against the Neosho River bridge.  According to Chad no one has made any effort to remove these logs.  He said GRDA and the Highway department are arguing over whose responsibility it is.  Meanwhile, he said logs are continually breaking off and filling in the boat ramp area and he has to pull trees out weekly so that boaters can unload their boat.  This is ridiculous!  Over the last 5 years, I estimate (conservatively) that between $200,000 and $250,000 has been collected from the $10 parking fee but the State of Oklahoma can't seem to find the funds to repair this situation.  I urge everyone that has utilized this ramp and plans to utilize this ramp this year and years to come, to contact the Governor of Oklahoma, the director of the Oklahoma State Parks, GRDA, and any other government office that you can think of and let them know our dissatisfaction with their lack of maintenance at this boat ramp.  I am appalled that they would collect this amount of money and virtually not make any repairs or maintenance at the boat ramp.   

[BilletHead]

3 hours ago, Ranger Dave said:

I talked to the Twin Bridges Park Manager (Chad McCall) today about the Twin Bridges Boat Ramp.  I initially called to complain that after 5 years of charging a $10 parking permit, the boat ramp was in poor repair and I wanted to know why some of the parking money was not being utilized to repair the ramp.  He told me the ramp had actually been repaired.  He said they poured a lot of concrete into the ramp recently to fill the holes and repair the leaning ramp.  However, I was a little disappointed to learn that there will be NO loading dock this year.  The log jam from last spring wiped out the loading dock and they won't replace it until the log jam is removed.  According to Chad, a big percentage of the log jam still exists and is stacked up against the Neosho River bridge.  According to Chad no one has made any effort to remove these logs.  He said GRDA and the Highway department are arguing over whose responsibility it is.  Meanwhile, he said logs are continually breaking off and filling in the boat ramp area and he has to pull trees out weekly so that boaters can unload their boat.  This is ridiculous!  Over the last 5 years, I estimate (conservatively) that between $200,000 and $250,000 has been collected from the $10 parking fee but the State of Oklahoma can't seem to find the funds to repair this situation.  I urge everyone that has utilized this ramp and plans to utilize this ramp this year and years to come, to contact the Governor of Oklahoma, the director of the Oklahoma State Parks, GRDA, and any other government office that you can think of and let them know our dissatisfaction with their lack of maintenance at this boat ramp.  I am appalled that they would collect this amount of money and virtually not make any repairs or maintenance at the boat ramp.   

    This and the out of state fishing license went up. Then not doing anything about the destructive black vultures eating the rubber seals on your vehicle. They did hang black rubber vulture cutouts on the parking lot upside down from the chains. I suppose to scare off the others. I'm thinking those live vultures see them as decoys. 😆

[ollie]

Yep, I saw this one coming last year. Just like the toll roads in the state, keep taking the money, but don't repair anything. Looks to be a statewide thing IMO. I used to always get a license, but I probably won't this year due to the cost and the fact they don't want to fix anything it seems like. When they first started collecting the extra $10 for certain state parks, they said it was because they needed the extra revenue to maintain those parks better. Look how that is working out. Off my soapbox now.

[Ranger Dave]

I have sent emails to the Oklahoma Governor, the Oklahoma State Parks, and to GRDA.  If anyone know of any other places to contact please let me know.  I urge each and every one of you that utilize this boat ramp to contact these departments.  It only takes a few minutes to send them an email.  If the State of Oklahoma is going to charge us $10 to use the boat ramps then they have the obligation to keep the boat ramps, the loading dock, and the parking lot is good condition.  

[Ranger Dave]

I received an email from GRDA (Justin Alberty).  Justin said the log jam at Twin Bridges is not their responsibility.  He said it was the responsibility of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT).  I also talked to the Assistant Director of the Oklahoma State Parks (Bobby Braly).  Bobby said the State Parks system would not install a $40K loading dock at Twin Bridges since the Log Jam was still present.  They didn't want a section of the log jam to break off and destroy a new loading dock.  I can understand that.  I wouldn't want to invest $40K on a dock when the log jam was still present either.  I then sent an email to several people at ODOT, District 8.  A gentleman from ODOT called me (I did not catch his name).  He confirmed that it was ODOT's responsibility to remove the log jam and that they were close to signing a contract with someone in Texas to remove the log jam but he said it was not urgent to remove the log jam since it wasn't causing any problems.  He also said that ODOT had been completely transparent with the State Parks system letting them know it was not urgent to remove the log jam.  Apparently he has not talked to the Director or the Assistant Director of the State Parks system because I did not get the impression from the Assistant Director (Bobby Braly) that it wasn't that big of a problem.  Bobby flat out said he would not authorize a new loading dock until the log jam is removed.  The gentleman from  ODOT basically said he did not care if the State Park built a new loading dock or not.  He was only concerned with the Bridge.  So basically the Boat Ramp and the fishermen that utilize it are getting screwed.  Based on the trend of the last 9 months, the work on the log jam will not start until the Summer of 2025 and by then there will be a larger log jam because new debris floating down the river in the Spring rains will be caught by the existing log jam and just get bigger.  Perhaps by the end of summer 2025, the log jam will be removed and then the State Parks system will authorize the rebuilding of the loading dock.  So keep paying that $10 parking fee so the State Parks can pad their pockets.  I recommend everyone that can, to utilize the boat ramp under Hwy 10 bridge and cut off their revenue stream.  Why should we pay an extra $10 to park at Twin Bridges when it doesn't have any more amenities than the Hwy 10 bridge access. If you have experienced what I have experienced, many times you still have to park in mud at Twin Bridges because they won't put down some additional gravel.  I suggested to the Assistant State Parks director that the State Parks system install the loading dock on the Spring River side where the fishing dock used to be.  There is not as much danger of being wiped out from floating debris.  I park my truck in the parking lot.  It is the same distance to walk to the East side as it is on the West side.  He did not like the idea.  

If this makes you as mad as it makes me, do something about it.  The squeaky wheel gets the grease.  If we keep silent, then nothing happens.  Please email, call, send letters, etc to the State Parks director, ODOT, and the Oklahoma Governor.   You can get the contact information for the governor on his web page and you can get the contact information for the State Parks Director on their web page.  Contact information for ODOT can be found at https://oklahoma.gov/odot/about-us/field-districts/district-8.html.  Do your part and voice your opinion.

[ollie]

The only issue I see with the ramp under 10 bridge is that half the time no one can launch there worth a crap as well!  Ask billethead, he knows what I'm talking about. They need to improve that ramp as well because it is so shallow there. Last year I sat there in my car and watched countless trucks trying to launch there and most gave up and went somewhere else. The only real good ramp on that end of the lake is over on the Neosho side at Conner Bridge. You could launch at Bee Creek, but that would be a longer haul to get up the Spring or Neosho at that point. There are a couple of pull off places on 10 going towards Grove, but those are pretty rough, and no one is there to watch your vehicle. 

[Quillback]

They need to take that ramp out, put one in somewhere else close by.  

[Terrierman]

7 hours ago, Quillback said:

They need to take that ramp out, put one in somewhere else close by.  

Finally.  A smart guy posts.