Buffalo had a lot to celebrate today on July 16, otherwise known as 716 Day, when part of the massive pedestrian bridge that has traveled across Upstate New York from Albany, reached its final destination.
The Ralph Wilson Park Bridge, which started its journey in Italy where it was made, has completed the last leg of its 12-day journey on the calendar date that matches Buffalo’s area code.
To celebrate, a community watch party took place at Freedom Park along Buffalo’s waterfront to watch the bridge as sailed through the Black Rock Canal.
The Seneca Chief, a traditionally-built, full-sized replica of the Erie Canal Boat with the same name, will be there to guide the bridge barge home, along with Buffalo’s Red Headed Bagpiper.
A post shared by Buffalo Maritime Center (@buffalomaritimecenter)
Carver Companies, which owns and operates the Port of Coeymans, located south of Albany, used a tug-and-barge system to get the bridge across 34 locks along the canal.
Along the way, the public was invited to see the barge and many gathered at the Erie Canal to view this event on the historic canal that is not often seen anymore since transporting goods by rail became much faster.
Being able to transport this large structure by water, traveling at 5mph, helped avoid closing roads to traffic or navigating under low street bridges.
Carver Companies’ tug CMT Otter and one of the two barges, CMT Kelly, carrying the 266-foot pedestrian bridge, will arrive first. The second half of the bridge, aboard the CMT Hofmann barge, is stationed in Pittsford, NY and will be retrieved later, so will still have a chance to see the tugboat and barge in Western New York this month.
When it is installed this fall, it will be a new entryway for pedestrians into Ralph Wilson Park, a 100-acre conservancy, across I-190 from Fourth Street. It will connect the west side to waterfront bike paths.
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