The portion of Bird Island Pier that has been closed off since 2019 will reopen this fall, Buffalo Department of Public Works Commissioner Michael Finn said during a news conference Monday.
The area south of the Peace Bridge has been closed due to safety concerns after heavy winds during the 2019 Halloween storm knocked concrete blocks from the breakwall off its foundation.
Specialty equipment, including a crane, had to be brought in for the work to get started.
“The base of the breakwall has been there since the late 1800s, so the crane is picking them up and putting them back in place,” Finn said.
Bird Island Pier is a stretch of concrete several feet wide and around two miles long.
It is located at Broderick Park on the southern end of Unity Island and separates the Black Rock Canal and the Niagara River at the foot of West Ferry, off Niagara Street.
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At a press conference on Monday, Commissioner Michael Finn of the Buffalo Department of Public Works announced that the section of Bird Island Pier that has been closed off since 2019 will reopen this fall.
Because of safety concerns, the area south of the Peace Bridge has been closed since strong winds during the Halloween storm of 2019 knocked concrete blocks from the breakwall off its foundation.
To begin the work, specialized machinery had to be brought in, including a crane.
“The breakwall’s base has been there since the late 1800s, so the crane is lifting them and repositioning them,” Finn explained.
The Bird Island Pier is a two-mile long concrete stretch that is several feet wide.
It divides the Niagara River from the Black Rock Canal at the base of West Ferry, off Niagara Street, and is situated at Broderick Park on the southernmost point of Unity Island.
Would like to walk on it. I seem to recall that it was closed in March because of the pandemic, but I’m not sure if it was ever reopened.
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Bird Island, a landmass that formerly lay a few miles from Unity Island, served as the inspiration for the name. The pier was created in 1860 to link the two.
By 1880, Bird Island had disappeared, and the pier had been expanded and rebuilt. Today, it is a popular site for fishing and walking.
The crane work ought to take a day or two, according to Department of Public Works senior engineer Don Poleto. According to Finn, the most work will be in resetting and redoing the rails.
According to Poleto, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is covering 85% of the cost, with the city expected to cover the remaining 15%.
Reach out to me at apreston@buffnews.com
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