BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Tifft Street Pier has officially been reopened to the public after being closed since 2016 for repairs.
The pier was originally built by the New York State Department of Transportation and initially opened in 2014. The $4.5 million project would be a sign of progress on the waterfront along the Outer Harbor in Buffalo.
But soon after opening, it was discovered to have been blocked off, keeping the community from accessing it. Seemingly hidden in plain site, the pier was damaged during a storm in the fall of 2015 and didn't reopen in 2016 or beyond.
In May, a 2 On Your Side viewer asked about the pier and why it had been closed for so long.
Finding out who controlled the pier was the first hurdle for the story. The NYSDOT said, multiple times, that the City of Buffalo was responsible for the pier.
The City of Buffalo rebuffed those claims, stating they never accepted ownership of the pier because of concerns over the design.
2 On Your Side obtained multiple emails from subcontractors expressing those design concerns, mainly the floating pier and 80-foot gangways that connected the pier to the dock.
Both were damaged in 2015 resulting in the pier being closed for seven years.
"We're all very pleased to be here to reopen the Tifft Street Pier to the public," Mayor Byron Brown said.
The Buffalo Department of Public Works contracted to have the gangways and floating pier removed in early July.
DPW Senior Operations Engineer Don Poleto said additional work was also done to stabilize the pier for the public.
"Going back through the railing system to ensuring the railing system was tight and up to standards," Poleto said. "We did some washing of the deck and see the new deck was cleaned and sealed."
Repairs to the LED lights on the pier, which were damaged in the 20115 storm, were also completed.
The city says the repairs cost $22,000 to complete.
2 On Your Side asked Mayor Brown if it was frustrating that the NYSDOT tried passing responsibility of the pier to the city, even with the noted design concerns by subcontractors.
"We're pleased that the Department of Public Works partnered with the state to do the necessary repairs and get the pier open," Mayor Brown said. "What we try to do in in the city is never get into a pointing of fingers or blaming anyone for things but simply work together in the best interest of the public, that's what we were able to do."