A plan is in place to protect one of Hamilton’s most popular recreational trails from future erosion.
A total of $17 million will be spent to design and build an armoured shoreline along a two-kilometre section of the Hamilton Harbour Waterfront Trail (HHWT) between the Desjardins Canal and Bayfront Park.
The city and federal government are splitting the cost after Hamilton received funding through Infrastructure Canada’s Federal Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund.
Council approved allocating the city’s portion of funding from that fund for shoreline protection measures in May 2019.
Project manager Wes Kindree says city staff chose to armour the shoreline with stepped rocks because they felt it was the “best approach” when balancing costs with the recreational use and longevity of the trail.
On average, the city says more than 2,300 people use the trail each day, but it has been temporarily closed several times because of wave damage since 2017.
Ward 2 Coun. Jason Farr says moving ahead with the project is ultimately about “making it safe and comfortable, at least for the next half-century.”
The HHWT is a 3.2-kilometre long, six-metre wide, asphalt multi-use trail situated at the western end of Hamilton Harbour.
The two-kilometre section that runs between the Desjardins Canal floating bridge and the Bayfront Park parking lot is often exposed to severe wave action generated by northern and easterly winds.