This past summer, downtown Buffalo’s Canalside saw an astounding amount of traffic – both from visitors and vehicles. A new project aims to help improve that experience.
With 1.2 million people checking out the waterfront attraction, it was the most successful summer to date, which led to many traffic and navigation issues. To resolve these concerns, Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation agreed to a $1.15 million dollar contract with Entros Communications on Monday to build a new way-finding and interpretive signage system.
Entros will provide design, fabrication and installation of the project, which is set to being this month.
“Over the next year, they will create a template as how best to sign and identify areas of interests within the 28 acre site, so that people can move effectively and efficiently throughout the entire site,” ECHDC Chairman Robert Gioia explains the new signage project explained.
The signage is intended to reflect Canalside’s fun, colorful and eclectic identity, while also serving another purpose.
“The interpretive interactive exhibits will help to inform, educate and enlighten visitors on special historic elements of the district,” said Gioia. “So it’s more of an education tool and we’ll be able to continue our guiding principles of telling the history of the site and the location in which they are.”
The design of the signs are still unclear, but the goal is to create a comprehensive signage and way-finding system that guides visitors from major highways and entrance points into the Canalside district and makes visitors feel welcomed.
“That will all be a part of the design phase, as to what is easily interpreted and can be read, and there will be discussions with the stakeholders on how best to utilize and fabricate them in a way that they can be read quickly and easily and consistently,” Gioia said.
The project is expected to be finished in December 2017.
