Plans are underway for the development of a 266-foot-long Pedestrian Bridge at Wilson Park, in Buffalo. The construction and design costs for this project are being financed through a $5.97 million grant, which Buffalo Urban Development Corporation(BUDC) received from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation. Now after over two years of planning, construction work on this project could begin by Spring 2022.
The Pedestrian Bridge at Wilson Park will be located northward of the Hudson Street bridge which stretches across I-190 and ends near Fourth Street. The bridge is intended to link Wilson Park to Buffalo’s Lower Side and other adjacent neighborhoods. This project also includes the addition of a lagoon at the base of the bridge on the west side, which brings the construction costs to about $18 million.
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Wilson Jr. Centennial Park to be transformed to Waterfront park
This signature Pedestrian Bridge at Wilson Park is part of a larger project, intended to transform the former 91 acre LaSalle Park into a more modern and accessible waterfront park, which is to be renamed as the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park. The pedestrian bridge is considered a centerpiece of the $68 million Wilson Park transformation project and upon completion, it is expected to provide safer, more attractive and inviting entry for visitors into the transformed park. Wilson Park, which was initially designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, will feature playgrounds, athletic fields, a great lawn, lagoon, biking and walking paths and a restored Lake Erie shoreline.
According to the Buffalo deputy commissioner for parks and recreation, Andy Raab, the construction of the Pedestrian Bridge is expected to be completed in about one year. While construction work on the rest the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park is scheduled to start in 2022 and finish in 2024. The redesign of the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park is also being funded by the foundation, through a $50 million grant, which provides $40 million for the reconstruction and $10 million for maintenance costs.
