New Ralph Wilson Pedestrian Bridge Shipped to Buffalo Along Erie Canal

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Erie Canal is expecting a major shipment across the state, starting in Albany on July 5 and ending in Buffalo on July 16.

Four sections of the new Ralph Wilson Pedestrian Bridge will begin their journey along the Erie Canal on Friday.

“We are extremely excited for the Ralph Wilson Park Bridge to make its way along the Erie Canal,” said Katie Campos, executive director of the Ralph Wilson Park Conservancy.

Built in Italy and shipped across the Atlantic, the four sections will total 266 feet in length when assembled.

Once installed, the bridge will connect 4th Street to the waterfront.

“The first thing we heard from the community is better and safer access to Ralph Wilson Park, and that’s why this bridge is coming,” Campos said.

While the Erie Canal has been primarily reserved for recreational water activities in recent decades, New York State Canal Corporation officials say shipping the bridge sections is a testament to the waterway’s legacy.

“It’s unique, it’s special,” said Shane Mahar, spokesman for the NYS Canal Corporation. “It proves that on the eve of the Erie Canal’s bicentennial, it’s still capable of moving goods and doing great things for New York State.”

One of America’s favorite pastimes is to see something big move. Whether it’s Howard Hughes’ famous H-4 “Spruce Goose” plane or, more recently, the retired space shuttles, the public always wants to see something big move.

The Ralph Wilson Park Conservancy expects many people will want to see the 50-foot-long sections of the bridge wind through the locks as it heads toward Albany — which is why the organization created an Instagram account for the bridge project.

“Every day we post on Instagram the location of the Ralph Wilson Park Bridge, the date, times and places where it will be on the Erie Canal,” Campos said.

Ralph Wilson Park plans to hold a celebration on July 16, often called 716 Day, when sections of the bridge arrive on the shores of the $110 million park.