TEXAS CITY, Texas— Two days shy of the second anniversary of when Hurricane Ike ripped away the bait camps and shrimp boat docks and battered the boat ramps, the Texas City Dike is set to reopen to the public.
The popular anglers’ spot is scheduled to open at 6 a.m. Sept. 11, city officials said Monday.
The five-mile-long pier was built to protect the Texas City Ship Channel but morphed into one of the busiest fishing and boating spots on the Texas coast.
"Woohoo," was Jason Cogburn’s first reaction to word the dike would reopen next week. The owner of Boyd’s One Stop bait camp at the entrance to the dike had a rough two years staying open since Ike forced the dike’s closure.
"I am just excited," Cogburn said. "I don’t know what to expect. All we can do is plan for a busy first few weeks, I guess."
Boyd’s and Lee Rilat’s bait camp across the street will be the only bait camps in the immediate area for the foreseeable future. Ike destroyed Curl’s and Anita’s, which were on the dike.
The storm also washed away the Lighted Fishing Pier at the end of the dike. The city has no plans to let anyone build on the dike again.
Getting on the dike as well as the hurricane protection levee road will come at a price. The city will charge $5 per car on the weekends.
City residents can get in free if they have a city sticker on the car window. Residents should have gotten their stickers with their water bills.
Residents who do not have a city water bill or who live in apartments can get a sticker at city hall, as long as he or she has a current driver’s license with a Texas City address.
The toll booth will be near Cogburn’s parking lot.
"Traffic is going to be backed up all the way down Palmer," he said. "There is no other place like this anywhere."
The $5 fee will be charged on weekends through October and then resume on Memorial Day weekend 2011 and run through Labor Day, Mayor Matt Doyle said. They city also will charge admission on the Fourth of July.
Doyle warned that the booth worker will not have change. So anyone going to the dike had best have five $1 bills or a $5 bill.
Cogburn said he is considering setting up mobile vending booths in his parking lot to sell fishing gear and bait so anglers won’t have to get out of their cars or lose their place in line.
John and Irma Moreno, operators of Coach’s Corner, are prepping for the opening weekend, too. Irma Moreno said she was stocking up on customers’ favorite snow cone flavors, such as cherry strawberry and the No. 1 seller — pickle juice.
"Everybody has been asking us every day when the dike would reopen," she said. "This is such good news."
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At A Glance
WHAT: Texas City Dike opening
WHEN: 6 a.m. Sept. 11
WHERE: Texas City Dike Road at Bay Street in Texas City
ADMISSION: $5 per car unless a Texas City resident with an entry sticker
STICKERS: Texas City residents can pick up stickers at city hall
RIBBON CUTTING: 6 p.m. Sept. 10
FUN RUN: Dike Hike 5K and 10K after the ribbon cutting. Call 409-643-5984 to enter.
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Did You Know?
The Samson-Yarbrough boat ramp on the dike once was recorded as the busiest boat ramp on the Texas Coast, according to officials with the Texas Parks of Wildlife Department.
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Be Careful
Solar-powered lights the city ordered are not ready, and it may be weeks before they are installed. Mayor Matt Doyle warned drivers to be careful when driving on the dike at night.
This story was brought to you thanks to khou.com’s partnership with The Galveston County Daily News.
