Several improvements to Canalside have been completed ahead of the 2016 summer season. Officials cut the ribbon on a $2.2 million expansion of the Central Wharf on Friday. Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation President Tom Dee says visitors now have better waterfront access.
"The boardwalk now is well over 1,000 feet long and when you look down from one end to the other, you can't even see the horizon, if you will," Dee said.
The project also involved connecting Canalside's southern entrance to the bike path along the Buffalo River, expanding the beach area, and installing new landscaping and signage.
"It's just spectacular. It's wider now. It has the decorative rail. It has the look and the feel of what it should be and what's relative to the Canalside era," Dee added.
Canalside will host more than 55 special events and 1,000 programs this summer.