SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. — A $5-million grant will help finish rebuilding a dilapidated waterfront on the Michigan side of the St. Marys River.
The 1,110 foot shoreline east of the Cloverland Hydroelectric Power Plant through the old Carbide Dock has been in disrepair since 2017. This includes the previous Alford Park property where visitors would fish and watch the freighters pass by.
The Lake Superior State University Center for Freshwater Research and Education now sits on the Alford Park property.
Mayor Don Gerrie says it's been a long time coming to get the shoreline repaired.
"It's a critical piece of infrastructure for Sault Ste. Marie. People use it for recreation and fished from it. It had a nice park area," Gerrie said.
The other part of the shoreline at the old Carbide Dock, was the only docking port for freighters east of Marquette and north of DeTour Village.
According to Gerrie, the several-year project will finish up with the shoreline ready for use in 2025.
"This is what we needed to get this thing across the finish line so this is very welcomed and it is what we needed. It's been a project that I've never seen this magnitude of grant applications and grant funding," added Gerrie.
The total cost of the shoreline project is around $24 million.
Grant funding came from several programs including the Michigan Department of Transportation, Michigan Economic Development Corporation and Brownfield.