Breakwall damage along the Niagara River in Fort Erie. Photo credit: Niagara Parks
A number of unusually strong storms have wreaked havoc on Niagara Peninsula’s south shore in recent years, including the Christmas-cancelling blizzard that pounded Fort Erie, Port Colborne, and Wainfleet this past December.
All that ice, water, and wind has taken its toll on the breakwall and trail along the water in Fort Erie, with overturned wall stones and flooded fields near the shoreline now more the norm versus the exception.
To help combat the situation, the Niagara Parks – which manages a 56-km stretch of the Niagara Parkway from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Fort Erie – is investing over $1.2 million of its generated revenue over the next two-years to repair sections of the breakwall and the Niagara River Recreation Trail in Fort Erie. This is in addition to ongoing cleanup work along the parapet wall in the area.
“The increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events over the past seven years has resulted in significant damages to the breakwall and trail infrastructure along the South Niagara Parkway, requiring ongoing repair work,” the Parks said in a press release Tuesday.
“Part of the budget for this work will include engaging a coastal engineering consultant to develop a sustainable solution to improve the long-term resiliency of the breakwall, reducing the economic impact of constant repairs and improving the visitor experience by ensuring these amenities remain intact.”
Of the budgeted $1.2 million, half will be invested this year to address repairs to the breakwall and trail infrastructure, with the remaining $600,000 to be invested in 2024.
Additional construction projects in the south end of Niagara Parks include the resurfacing of Service Road 6 and 7, including new granular for the shoulders. There will also be three culverts replaced on Service Road 7, as well as an additional culvert replacement along the Niagara Parkway near Service Road 18.
Established in 1885, the Niagara Parks is a self-financed agency of the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, entrusted to preserve and protect the land surrounding Niagara Falls and the Niagara River.
