Stratford waterfront boardwalk to offer 'postcard' views starting in January 2024 

For the thousands of drivers who travel back and forth across the Hillsborough Bridge between Charlottetown and its eastern neighbour every day, there has been lots to see lately along the Stratford waterfront. 

A wooden boardwalk is being installed, starting at the Town of Stratford sign and continuing along the shoreline for a third of a kilometre.

"We're right in the middle of construction here now and we're about two months in. We're expecting about two more months of work," said Carter Livingstone, who's managing the project for the town.

"Working late in the season has been a bit challenging for the contractor, but they've been making progress. We've been overall happy with the schedule so far."

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The boardwalk will connect the active transportation trail that the province put in across the Hillsborough Bridge to the statue of Michael Thomas and the waterfront park that bears his name. 

The well-known Mi'kmaq distance runner, who is also a member of the P.E.I. Sports Hall of Fame, was the first Prince Edward Islander to run in the Boston Marathon. 

Livingstone said the boardwalk project came out of the work done by a consultant who developed a waterfront master plan after the town's longtime sewage lagoons were decommissioned and filled in. The town now sends its waste through a pipeline under the Hillsborough Bridge for treatment in Charlottetown. 

To prepare for construction, the town spent the summer growing grass at the waterfront park. Livingstone said that went well, the former lagoon sites proving to be a hospitable environment for green cover.

As budgets allow, Livingstone said future plans could include a boardwalk extension, some recreational facilities, more walking trails, and tree planting.

'Very excited'

Steve Gallant, Stratford's deputy mayor and infrastructure committee chair, said he is "very excited" about the progress at the waterfront park. 

"The planning took about a year to put everything together, and with 330 metres of boardwalk, the view itself is unmeasurable," he said. "It's a panoramic view with the boardwalk. It's almost like a postcard."

Gallant said the town was hoping to have the boardwalk open this past summer, but due to delays, that will happen early in the new year instead.

"This is phase one of many phases," he said. "Eventually, we'll have a concert pad and the boardwalk itself is going to bring a lot of activities. Activities outside are going to be unlimited — an amphitheatre, a pavilion…"

Gallant said progress on the waterfront park will depend on funding for each of the four phases. 

The price tag so far is $1.8 million, from the three levels of government and the Charlottetown Area Development Corporation, he said. That includes the boardwalk, a larger deck area around the Michael Thomas statue, three lookouts, a performance pad for small concerts, bench seating, and lighting. 

Gallant said it's exciting to have the waterfront park be the first thing people see as they drive into Stratford, as compared to the sewage lagoons. 

"The smell is not there. The spin-off for the business community is unmeasurable," Gallant said. 

"It just puts pride in residents… walking here in July, looking over at Charlottetown, would be unbelievable."