New pedestrian bridge travels to Buffalo by Erie Canal

Presumably not by a mule named Sal

COEYMANS — A 266-foot pedestrian bridge is making its way to Buffalo down the Erie Canal after a trek from Italy on two 195-foot barges.

It is the new Ralph Wilson Park Bridge that will cross Interstate 190. It left Italy after being manufactured by a company called Cimolai, which has a newly established presence in Olean.

Once installed, the bridge will connect the Lower West Side of Buffalo to the newly renovated park.

Josh Kowalski, the vice president of sales and business development at the Port of Coeymans, said this is the most cost effective way to transport the infrastructure.

“By truck, you’d have to bring it in pieces,” he said. “Whether it’s width, whether it’s height, we have a lot of overpasses that are 14-feet. You have bridges that you want to protect on the road. So you can do that but to do that you’d have to shut down traffic. You’d have to have specific times where you can go. So the cost would be extravagant.”

Crews are using a tug-and-barge system to get the bridge across 34 locks. Tight turns will require a tricky single-tow maneuver, while the rest of the trip will need a four-person tandem-tow, all while navigating clearance hazards and low water depths.

“It’s a great feature of New York state,” Kowalski said. “It’s historic. It’s something that we strive to use more and more. We’re just looking for reasons.”

The bridge was expected to arrive in Buffalo by Tuesday, July 16 or sooner.

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