Ralph Wilson Park Bridge, heavy cargo moves slowly along the Erie Canal

Onlookers gathered in Baldwinsville, Onondaga County, on Wednesday to see the Ralph Wilson Park Bridge as it makes its 363-mile journey along the historic Erie Canal. The new pedestrian bridge is scheduled to arrive in Buffalo on July 16.

Once installed, the bridge will connect Buffalo’s Lower West Side to Ralph Wilson Park, a 100-acre development on the shores of Lake Erie.

The new bridge will provide access to the park via Interstate 190 and the CSX railroad, connecting communities to the recreational area that would otherwise be cut off by infrastructure.

“The bridge is really important. It’s the first major step in the transformation of Ralph Wilson Park,” said Katie Campos, the preserve’s executive director. “This bridge will create a new, safe and accessible entrance where there wasn’t one before. We’re really excited to connect the communities.”

The bridge will be installed in the fall. It will take construction crews six to eight weeks to weld the two halves of the bridge together before it is ready to be installed, Campos said. The park will begin opening in phases in 2026.

The 266-foot-long bridge is separated by two 195-foot-long barges, the CMT Hofmann and the CMT Kelly, towed by the tug CMT Otter.

The bridge left Italy in June on the Aralia ship.

On June 22, the bridge crossed New York Harbor and then traveled up the Hudson River to Coeymans Harbor near Albany. The Carver Companies crew began transporting the bridge across upstate New York on the canal on July 5.

The crew must pass through 34 locks on the journey to Buffalo.

Nick Viscosi, a photographer from Yorkville, traveled 40 minutes to catch the bridge passing through Lock 22 in Verona on July 9.

“I was interested in seeing the bridge go down the canal because it’s very rare that the canal is used for freight,” Viscosi said. “I really enjoyed seeing the barges go through the lock. I definitely recommend that anyone who can go see the barges do it.”

On the fifth day of the voyage, the barge docked overnight at Sylvan Beach. The crew crossed Oneida Lake and departed for Brewerton around 6 a.m. Wednesday. Arriving at Brewerton Lock 23 around 9:45 a.m., the barges were delayed by rising water levels caused by afternoon storms.

The convoy was originally scheduled to arrive in Baldwinsville between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. According to the group’s Facebook page, the crew had to ballast the barges and tugboat as a safety precaution.

THE Hoffman And Otter The bridge arrived at Lock 24 just before 8 p.m. Despite delays and an impending tornado warning, residents from surrounding towns gathered along the canal to see the bridge, cheering and waving to the crew members.

“It’s a really cool thing to see,” said Anthony Monteleone, a Baldwinsville resident who was among the crowd at Lock 24 Wednesday night. Originally from New Jersey, Monteleone moved to central New York in 1971 and enjoyed traveling the Erie Canal to Oneida Lake on his boat. Adrift for over 15 years.

Pittsford, Greece: Recommended Places to Watch Houseboats

The Ralph Wilson Conservancy and the Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor have compiled a list of the best barge viewing spots along the canal, including Schoen Place in Pittsford, Lock 30 Macedon Canal Park and Greece Canal Park west of Rochester. The full list can be found here.

“It’s a really exciting and historic trip,” Compos said. “It’s really fun to see how many people come.”

The Ralph Wilson Park Conservatory set up social media accounts to update the bridge’s location, expecting a small following. “We created an Instagram page to share it with what we thought would be a handful of people who were interested, but it turns out there are thousands,” Compos said.

Carver Cos. and the Ralph Wilson Park Conservatory will continue to provide live updates on Facebook and Instagram. The bridge is expected to arrive in Buffalo on July 16, just in time for 716 Day.

— Julia Carden is a Syracuse University student working as a summer intern at the Democrat and Chronicle, creating content related to the next 200 years.^th anniversary of the Erie Canal. Her work is funded by a grant from the New York Press Service. She focuses primarily on the canal west of Syracuse toward Rochester.

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