The Station Wharf in Miramichi, New Brunswick will be undergoing major repairs, following a multi-million dollar funding announcement.
The Government of Canada, Government of New Brunswick and City of Miramichi are collectively contributing funds to upgrade the wharf, located in the downtown core.
Liberal Member of Parliament for Miramichi-Grand Lake, Pat Finnigan, announced the federal government’s $1,917,504 contribution. The provincial government matched the federal funding, and the city will invest $431,500 — bringing the total project cost close to $4 million.
The money will be used to repair and refurbish railings, braces, fenders and other damaged parts of the wharf.
City of Miramichi Economic Development Officer Paul McGraw says the wharf is “literally falling into the river.”
McGraw says the undercarriage of the wharf is in “very very bad shape” and says there are parts being “almost suspended in mid-air.”
He says the city had to restrict the use of the wharf over the past couple years. McGraw says it’s an important asset to the city and says there will be a major return on investment.
McGraw says the city’s engineering department is working with a private company, obtained through a public process, to complete the final design. He says the plans should be finished by the end of November, with construction starting in spring 2017.
He says there are currently four wharves built on top of one another, and says the engineering team was able to source out documents back into the 1920s that show what’s underneath.
“Anytime you have that kind of construction, over construction, over construction, over construction, over construction, there are factors that you can’t foresee. So, after the middle-to the end of November we’ll be able to answer timeline questions in a much more accurate fashion,” McGraw said.
New Brunswick Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Bill Fraser says the new wharf will help boost the local economy — attracting more boaters, tall ships and potentially cruise ships in the future.
“It’s a piece of key infrastructure for tourism development, for our downtown, for our city, for our region,” Fraser said.
Miramichi Bay-Neguac MLA Lisa Harris, who also serves as the Minister of Seniors and Long-Term Care, and Celtic Affairs, says it’s great news for the entire Miramichi region and says she’s excited to see the work begin.
“It’s certainly a beautiful place to be right here and we’ll have lots of wonderful events and more people will be able to come in to enjoy our beautiful, beautiful river,” Harris said.
Finnigan agrees it will attract people to the downtown core.
“This is a jewel that most of us around here take for granted, but it’s an untold story, so if we can get more people in, give them access to our downtown, this is just really building for the future,” Finnigan said.
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