BUFFALO, N.Y. — A total of $4.5 million is going towards shoreline restoration efforts to improve access to the waterfront at Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park.
The money is from the National Coastal Resilience Fund.
“Ralph Wilson was a dear friend of mine, and this will help Buffalo have the beautiful waterfront park that our families deserve and is fitting to his legacy and unwavering commitment to Buffalo. I am proud to deliver $4.5 million in federal funding to restore the Buffalo’s shoreline along Lake Erie for the park and give Western New York the waterfront view it has long deserved,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer. “When I led the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to passage, it is long overdue investments in restoring the Great Lakes and uplifting families like these that I had in mind. I am proud to help give Buffalo the access to its pristine waterfront it has long deserved and help ensure the long-term stability of the park by improving its shoreline. Ralph is looking down smiling today, and I will be thinking of him when I look out at the water.
The project will also help reduce the impact of flooding and erosion while protecting residential and park infrastructure.
“Revitalizing the Ralph C. Wilson Park shoreline will provide families in the City of Buffalo with a new space for recreation and help restore our coastal habitats,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. “I am proud that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is helping projects like this one come to fruition.”
Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park, formerly known as LaSalle Park, is situated along the eastern shore of Lake Erie.
“Buffalo is home to a beautiful Great Lakes waterfront. We’ve worked hard to dedicate targeted funding that increases public access to the waterfront by investing in both the health of our Great Lakes and its habitats, as well as the infrastructure that protects the shoreline,” said Congressman Brian Higgins. “This investment from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), funded in part by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, builds on efforts to reimagine the Buffalo waterfront while protecting the Lake Erie shoreline from harsh weather patterns.”