Ramp Builds

You will see handicap ramps all over East Texas built by the Longview AMBUCS. We serve those in need by furnishing the supplies and building the ramps free of charge.

We did this over 30 times last year!

How does it work?

A person with a disability issue or family member or a physical therapist contacts us and requests our help.
An AMBUC will go to the location where the ramp is needed and evaluate the terrain. Ramps can only slope 5 degrees, so sometimes the configurations can get tricky. The AMBUC must measure and design the ramp on site.
Once the ramp has been designed and we know how long it is going to be, the lumber, screws, and lag bolts are ordered and delivered to our headquarters.
We build ramps in sections 8', 10', and 12'. Usually 2 AMBUCS will meet during the week at the headquarter and pre-build the boxes needed for the ramp. The box is either 4'x8', 4'x10', or 4'x12', using 2"x6" boards with cross-supports.
The crew arrives at 7:00am on the day of construction to load the plywood, boxes, and handrail support material onto a trailer before heading to the construction site (20-60 minutes away).
We unload the trailer and attach the first box to the house. As we start attaching additional sections, we apply the plywood floor and handrails to the previous sections. Handrails and all supports are cut on site to ensure the handrails are 35" high all the way down.
After construction is complete, we rout the edges of the handrails to prevent splinters. A metal plate is installed at the foot of the ramp to aid the user when wheelchairs are used. The final touch is a nameplate with our phone number so they can call us if they have any issues.
We load up our tools, scrap lumber, and debris from the demolition and then head back to headquarters.