An assortment of agencies gathered Tuesday to celebrate the completion of the renovated Buffalo River Ohio Street Fishing Access Site.
The newest place to go fish on the Buffalo Blueway improves what Empire State Development COO Kevin Younis called "equitable access to Western New York's greatest asset: it's waterfront.
The site includes a car-top boat launch, a wheelchair-accessible fishing pier, a North Path for pedestrian connections to Ohio Street and the Shoreline Trail, two newly-installed floating deflectors will help mitigate wave forces and deflect floating debris and flowing ice away from the shoreline and boat launch, a central dropoff and parking upgrades.
“Once an abandoned railroad property, this now popular recreational spot now draws anglers and outdoors enthusiasts of all ages," said state Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos. "Working with our project partners, DEC is pleased to announce today our latest efforts to improve access to the river for anglers, boaters, and kayakers, and restore shoreline habitat for fish and wildlife.”
ESD, which funded the $2 million project, the state DEC, which owns the site, and Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper, which completed the renovation, worked together for this addition to the network of public access points to the city's waterways known as the Buffalo Blueway.
The total Buffalo Blueway investment comes from a $10 million award to Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper in January 2017 and is continuing to expand and enhance waterfront access along Lake Erie, the Niagara River and the Buffalo River.
"Supporting the growth of the region’s sustainable blue economy continues to be a goal of our ongoing environmental restoration work, and by offering universal access to our waterways through the Blueway system, these kinds of projects will continue to accelerate economic activity for our entire waterfront,” said BNW Executive Director Jill Jedlicka.
