Greenway debuts on waterfront
Buffalo’s newest waterfront walkway, a former brownfield at the outer harbor, officially opened Thursday.
The Greenway Nature Trail will run for more than a mile — 6,400 feet — along the Lake Erie shoreline, from near the site of the former Pier restaurant, around the Bell Slip and ending near the Port of Buffalo’s Terminal B building.
The approximately 60-acre brownfield between the walk and Fuhrmann Boulevard was re-mediated over the last two years using $12.1 million in money from the state Environmental Restoration Program and another $1.4 million in federal funds.
The property, now owned by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, was used as an uncontrolled dump from 1874 to 1986. Dredging material from the Buffalo Ship Canal also was used at the site to extend the shoreline.
Workers removed contaminated soil, laid down 12 inches of new soil, cleared debris from the shoreline and fortified the shoreline to prevent erosion. Native vegetation was planted in the hopes of attracting wildlife.
The paved pedestrian-bike pathway is 13 feet wide. Parking is available near the Bell Slip.
“This site has gone through a transformation — from an environmental wasteland, standing as a barrier between the Buffalo community, to a spectacular greenspace and recreational resource,” said DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis.
