Visitors heading to downtown Buffalo's growing waterfront will soon have an easier time not only locating Canalside. They will also see more useful information about the historic destination.
There's a big sign on the way to help Canalside stand out from the rest of the growing waterfront.
"We're using the Canalside logo. And it will be erected between two piers below the Skyway. And it'll really be kind of an iconic sign that welcomes all the visitors to Canalside and sends a very clear message that you have arrived at your destination," said Sam Hoyt, Empire State Development Regional President. Hoyt says he and other members of the Erie Canal Harbor Development Board, on Monday, approved the design for the gateway sign and other wayfinding signage.
"The need for them was driven by the fact that we have over one million people visiting Canalside a year now. We have multiple venues multiple events down there. We want to make sure that all of our guests, all of our visitors, are able to enjoy every aspect of Canalside," Hoyt said.
Along with better street signs for drivers and pedestrians, he says, the project includes landmark totems, markers, beacons, and more historic interpretive panels and electronic displays.
"So it isn't just wayfinding. We're also going to do a better job celebrating history. Of course Canalside represents the Western Terminus of the Erie Canal, a very significant historical site, in not only in this region, but in this nation. And we need to do a better job expressing and showcasing the history of what took place there," Hoyt said.
Installation of the signs is expected to start this winter and be complete by the Spring of 2018.