"Construction is expected to begin Fall 2026." That line comes from the City of Hayden's September 2026 Hello Hayden newsletter, in its update on the Honeysuckle Boat Ramp reconstruction.
On September 8, 2026, the Hayden City Council approved an engineering contract for the same project. That contract says something different: "the current objective is to complete design and position the project for winter 2027 construction."
The two dates don't contradict each other as much as they first seem to. The newsletter repeats a timeline the city set back in June, when the state grant came through. The contract is the newer document, and it shows the project still in design. So as of October 10, the ramp at Honeysuckle Beach is the same two-lane launch Hayden Lake boaters have been using, south dock included, and it is likely to stay that way through the rest of this season.
The ramp the city wants to replace
Honeysuckle is more important than its size suggests. The city calls it one of only two public access points on Hayden Lake. The other is Hayden Lake Sportsman Park, which Idaho Fish and Game lists with a boat ramp and dock. For anyone in The Falls or elsewhere around the lake who trailers a boat without a private dock, those two sites are the public options.
Honeysuckle Beach opened in 1992, funded by grant money plus just over $20,000 in donations. The city's records don't say when the ramp itself was built. Public Works' October 28, 2025 council presentation blames its condition on drainage and age, without giving a year. The photos the city posted on its Public Works projects page show the problems:
- Spalling concrete on the ramp surface
- A deteriorated ramp with poor drainage
- The south dock resting directly on the ramp
The last item is a big one at a two-lane launch. A dock sitting on the ramp takes up launch space. That shapes most of the redesign.
What $325,000 buys at the water's edge
The scope comes from the city's grant application to the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation. It's a rehabilitation of the existing launch. It doesn't add parking or expand the beach.
| Element | Approximate size | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Upper ramp, asphalt | About 31 by 138 feet | Regraded for drainage and rebuilt |
| Lower ramp, concrete | About 30 by 80 feet | Regraded and repoured |
| South dock and pilings | Shifted about 2 feet south | Old pilings cut and new ones installed so the dock stops resting on the ramp |
| ADA walkway | About 225 feet long, 5 feet wide | New concrete path from the north dock to the south end of the facility |
The application lays out the reasoning. Moving the dock frees up ramp space so more boats can launch at once and traffic spreads out, which cuts down on conflicts at the launch. The new walkway gives non-motorized users, meaning paddlers and anyone carrying a craft by hand, an easier route to the north end, away from the motorized launch. It also improves access for people with disabilities. The 2025 council presentation describes the same plan: replace the asphalt and concrete, fix drainage, relocate the south pilings and dock, and connect both sides of the main dock with an accessible path.
The funding is settled. The budget is $325,000: a $250,000 grant from the state's Waterways Improvement Fund plus a $75,000 cash match from the city's Honeysuckle Boat Launch Fund. The council accepted the grant this summer, as the Hayden Reporter covered on July 21.
Public support was already on record before that. When the city asked for input in November 2025, the Coeur d'Alene Press covered the survey. The grant application describes support from about 95 launch users as strong.
The money was never the bottleneck
The September 8 council packet explains why the start date hasn't come yet. A memo from Public Works Director Alan Soderling asked the council to approve a contract amendment with J-U-B Engineers, capped at $48,750, for "design phase services, support regulatory approvals, agency coordination, and construction management." The amount is exactly 15 percent of the $325,000 grant budget. The amendment says that's how the engineering allotment was calculated. It also notes that J-U-B's underlying agreement with the city dates to August 26, 2022.
The amendment went through on the consent calendar. Draft minutes from that meeting show the motion passed unanimously among the members present.
The same document points to the dependency that can't be quickly resolved: "The City is actively pursuing a cooperative agreement with Dalton Gardens Irrigation District that may influence project implementation and construction sequence." Dalton Gardens Irrigation District draws its water from Hayden Lake through a pump house and intake pipe, according to a Bureau of Reclamation project history. The council packet doesn't say what the agreement would cover or how it would change the work order. It says only that it may affect sequencing. The schedule section repeats that the winter 2027 target "remains subject to the cooperative agreements, regulatory approvals, agency coordination, funding requirements, and other factors outside the control of J-U-B."
The calendar still has some room. The grant application estimated a start of September 1, 2026 and completion by June 1, 2027. The grant period runs from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. If "winter 2027" means the first months of next year, construction would fall inside that grant window. The September start has already passed with the project still in design.
What the agendas show since
Nothing has moved publicly since the September 8 approval. The September 22 agenda had no item on the ramp or an irrigation district agreement. Its Honeysuckle items were about the roundabout. The September 29 agenda had none either. Neither does the posted agenda for the October 13 regular meeting. The city's bid opportunities page hasn't posted a construction bid for the ramp, and no contractor has been named.
That means no closure dates have been announced. The project page still shows the June 29 update as its latest entry for the boat launch. Before work can start, the steps in the contract have to happen in order: finish the design, get the approvals, put the job out to bid, and hire a contractor. Each step is a public action, so each should show up on a council agenda or the city's bid page before any equipment arrives at the water.
The other Honeysuckle project is also running late
Hayden has a second project on its list with the Honeysuckle name, and it shows how these dates tend to slide. The Ramsey Road and Honeysuckle Avenue roundabout was originally expected to finish in August. The September newsletter said delays in getting needed pipe pushed it to mid-October. The Hayden Reporter reported October 5 as the expected reopening date on August 28. A city memo dated September 22 gave the contractor's estimate for substantial completion as October 2.
The city's October 7 update still listed the project as in progress. Crews were pouring concrete for the center and splitter islands, sidewalks were going in, and striping had started. Ramsey Road remains closed to through traffic between Hayden Avenue and Prairie. Honeysuckle Avenue is closed to through traffic between Atlas Road and Reed Road.
One project on the detour route is finished. On October 7, contractors completed a new spanwire traffic signal at Hayden Avenue and Ramsey Road. It permanently replaces the four-way stop there, uses detection to reduce queuing, and adds lighting on the southwest and northeast corners. The city's list of upcoming projects shows that a roundabout design for that same intersection is finalized.
For the ramp, no closure has been announced as of October 10. The city's boat launch permit page lists the launch fees. So far, the city has posted its Honeysuckle updates on the Public Works projects page.
If you're weighing how lake access affects a home in The Falls or elsewhere around Hayden Lake, including which public launch is closest and what the coming ramp work could mean for next season, Griffin Signature Living can walk you through it. Connect with Sarah for waterfront expertise and a personalized market valuation.
