Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Let's face it - Mother Nature has not been kind when it comes to the Bird Island Pier.
If anything, Mother Nature has been punishing to the nearly two-mile long breakwater that buffers the Black Rock Channel from Lake Erie and also offers a postcard-like, picturesque walkway and fishing destination.
"But, it is time to fix the damage," says Esha Blaggan, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers/Buffalo division project manager.
Blaggan is overseeing - for the Army Corps - a multi-year/multi-phase $15.5 million restoration and repairs to nearly 3,000 linear feet of the pier. The work starts just south of the Peace Bridge and runs to just beyond the Col. Ward Pumping Station.
Work began earlier in July and will continue into November - weather permitting.
Next spring, work will continue -again into the fall and, if needed, it will extend into 2028.
"It is really about protecting the channel," Blaggen said.
The Black Rock Channel takes both commercial and leisure boaters from Buffalo to the Tonawandas.
Avery Schneider, Army Corps spokesman, said more than $62 million annually in commercial traffic uses portions of the Black Rock Channel.
"It does have an economic impact," Schneider said.
The Bird Island Pier dates back to 1823. It stretches nearly two miles (10,507 feet to be exact) from Unity Island's Freedom Park south to the Black Rock Channel entranceway and protects such shoreline landmarks as the Col. Ward Pumping Station and Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park.
To handle the repairs, more than 18,000 tons of crushed stone and concrete will be used.
Michigan-based Great Lakes Dock and Marine and Ryba Marine Construction Co. are handling the work for the Army Corps.
The Bird Island Pier plays a vital role in the Great Lakes navigation system," said Lt. Col. Aaron Anderson, Buffalo District commander for the Army Corp.
The Army Corps of Engineers is beginning a $15.5 million project on the island
The Army Corps of Engineers is beginning a $15.5 million project on the island
