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

Curious gawkers gathered in Baldwinsville, Onondaga County, on Wednesday to witness the Ralph Wilson Park Bridge on 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-plus-acre development project on the shoreline of Lake Erie.

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

“The bridge is really significant. This is the first major milestone of the Ralph Wilson Park transformation,” said Katie Campos, executive director of the conservancy . “This bridge will create a new, safe and accessible entrance where there wasn’t one before. We’re really excited about connecting 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’s ready for installation, Campos said. The park will begin opening in phases in 2026.

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

The bridge departed from Italy in June on the Aralia vessel.

It then crossed through the New York Harbor on June 22, traveling the Hudson River to the Port of Coeymans near Albany. The Carver Companies crew began transporting the bridge across Upstate New York on the Canal on July 5.

The crew must navigate 34 locks on the trip 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 travel down the Canal because it's very rare for the canal to be used for freight now,” Viscosi said. “I really enjoyed seeing the barges enter the lock. I absolutely recommend anyone who is able to go and see the barges do it.”

On the fifth day of travel, the barge docked overnight in Sylvan Beach. The crew crossed Oneida Lake and departed for Brewerton around 6 a.m. Wednesday. Arriving at Lock 23 in Brewerton around 9:45 a.m., the barges faced delays due to increased water levels caused by afternoon storms.

The convoy was originally scheduled to arrive in Baldwinsville between 2 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 rolled into Lock 24 just before 8 p.m. Despite time delays and an impending tornado watch, residents of surrounding towns gathered along the Canal to see the bridge, clapping and waving to the crew members.

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

Pittsford, Greece spots recommended for viewing barges

The Ralph Wilson Conservatory and the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor created a list of the best viewing locations of the barge along the canal, including Schoen Place in Pittsford, Lock 30 Macedon Canal Park, and the Greece Canal Park west of Rochester. The full list can be viewed here .

“This is a really exciting, historic journey,” Compos said. “It’s been really fun seeing how many people are coming out.”

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

Carver Cos. and the Ralph Wilson Park Conservatory will continue to provide live updates on Facebook and Instagram . The bridge is scheduled 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 with the Democrat and Chronicle creating content tied to the upcoming 200 ^th anniversary of the Erie Canal. Her role is funded by a grant from the New York Press Service. She focuses primarily on the canal west of Syracuse toward Rochester.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Ralph Wilson Park Bridge, quite big cargo, moves slowly along the Erie Canal