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Boaters who frequent the public access ramp near the southern border of Claiborne County will need to find alternate means to the waterways that make up Norris Lake. The free access ramp commonly known as Brogan’s Boat Ramp will be closed from July 17 through Aug. 30 as crews set to work utilizing some $316,700 in grant moneys to make improvements to the parking area.

Claiborne County Mayor Joe Brooks said he and county government hope to have the project completed sooner than the 45 days allotted for the upgrades.

The project has become a bit controversial on and off social media as news of its scheduled start/stop dates were announced. The upgrades will run during what is traditionally peak summer fishing excursion time in the county. Fishing tournament dates, which create additional revenue for the county, will also be affected by the ramp closure.

“This project has been a long time coming and the parking area upgrades are greatly needed,” said Brooks via the Claiborne County Mayor’s Facebook page. “Understanding the long-term benefits of this project during this time will hopefully ease the pain of having the ramp closed during this time. Your patience is greatly appreciated as improvements are being made to Claiborne County’s main Norris Lake public access point.”

The engineering phase is under Hatfield & Allen Associates, Inc. with construction being done by Glass Machinery. A grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission is providing funding for this project along with monies from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and Powell Valley Electrical Cooperative. Claiborne County government is also a partner in this endeavor.