Explore the Tunnel at the Niagara Falls Power Station

so just when you think you've seen every vantage point of niagara falls we got a new one for you it's called the tunnel and you are going to see it today very excited to be within the niagara parks power station with kim viney from niagara parks nice to meet you thank you welcome i've never been in here yet well you know no time like the present right okay so before we get to the tunnel because this is your baby i know you're super excited about it anybody who hasn't been in here yes why is this place so special yeah so this building was built between 1901 and 1905 and it is in incredible condition and we think it's the last intact power station in the world of this vintage so it's a very very special spot what would happen with it niagara parks didn't yeah you know it had been mothballed so it was decommissioned 2006 and uh power stations were turned over to niagara parks in 2009. so we've had a while just to think about how do we bring this to life how do we make it part of the guest experience here at the park well last summer currents yes start and that's where this happens at night that's right and if you haven't seen that that's quite an experience for anybody amazing yes but it's intact right like what are these big blue things here yeah so these are the original generators so there's 11 of them in this station and water was brought directly from the niagara river which is why it sits right beside the falls into these huge ten foot pipes down into the turbines and then those turbines spun shafts that then fed up to here and that's how electricity was created and this all happened at the turn of the century okay where's all where's all that action happening now so down at sir item back a little further south of the river and uh you know it's essentially the same technology so this was the first green energy in the world amazing okay now we get into the tunnel yes okay what is the tunnel yeah so the tunnel is where all the 11 turbines returned all of their water back to the river so we're going to go into this amazing cathedral-like tunnel and it is exactly as it looked 100 years ago where the water went back correct yes and we get to take an elevator down we get to take an elevator down what's that elevator ride like so it's glass enclosed so we're actually going to see all of the different levels that this is essentially like an iceberg so what we see up on the surface has nothing compared to what's below okay uh the tunnel it's open right now it is open and you get to explore it with us this morning i'm boring live come on you coming in yeah come on in good morning we are in the elevator for the tunnel the niagara parks power station checking out some of the original turbines that were built back in the 1900s great to be back with with kim from niagara parks it's fascinating to see the work that was done yeah just i mean it was all hand done like rivet like i mean they didn't have welding like we have today so things were riveted uh they were building molds and creating patterns and it's just phenomenal the work i mean this is back at the turn of the century this had never been done it's so cool for the elevators to have glass to be able to see this how important was that when coming up with concept for the tunnel yeah that was critical because really it's the way for the guests to connect the dots from what they've seen up above and now really understand how much of the infrastructure sits below grade okay and then this is the money shot as the door opens as the door opens this is the well we get to see mike hey mike introduction amazing was the elevator here no so that elevator is brand new and that was designed as part of this guest experience to really set up a bit of a story before guests actually drop into 180 feet down below grade that's what it is we're spectacular look up there so that is a shaft a maintenance shaft that goes right up to the generator hall floor where is the entrance here what was here this is called the wheel pit so this was the area that collected initially collected the water from all 11 turbines so after they had finished uh spinning and creating electricity with the generators up above those turbines returned its water to this wheel pit area and from this wheel pit it carried down through this amazing 2200 feet long tunnel what did it look like when you first came you know very similar to this only with no lighting so we were here with our flashlights and uh you know just we wanted to make sure we kept the space as authentic as possible so we've done as little as we could obviously want to make sure it's safe for our guests but we've tried to keep it as authentic as the day that the power station was decommissioned because even the tunnel itself they would have blasts they would have yeah this is all created with dynamite pickaxes shovels horses they didn't have a big borer back in the 1900s there's no big becky dig right and then even so the shape so this was all hand created by brick layers so we have a single layer of brick it was on the floor as well so all of this floor is new so one layer of brick and then they didn't have the technology to pour concrete in an arch back then so four layers of brick have been laid to create that arch way up above now you see we're still getting water so still a few leaks nothing to be concerned about no nothing to be concerned about this was designed to accept groundwater from the entire area so we've kept that as a feature as well we've had to create obviously drainage to get it back out to the river but we wanted again to make it taste and feel and smell and it's just like it was how exciting is this for you oh it's just it's it's a legacy project that's once in a lifetime to see people now walking through it's just and the you know the the smiles and the amazement when you hit that reviewing platform because again yeah we're not even there yet oh again it's a it's another vantage point to see the falls exactly a lot of us locals we've all seen the falls numerous times but not from we're about to see it's a new way to see niagara falls let's go for a walk come with us morning live the tunnel is open and it is quite something to experience good morning welcome back to the falls in the tunnel so we have walked the tunnel i am with somebody who's probably quite happy that the tunnel is open too the ceo of niagara parks david james how are you very happy uh thrilled to have visitors here uh we've been open since july 1st and people coming from the u.s from near market as well the southern ontario market quebec is talking to a family from quebec this morning so they're enjoying the whole tunnel experience okay how far did we walk david we've just walked 2200 feet so we're following where the water went from the power station located uh the other side of the horseshoe falls or south of the horseshoe falls the water went down 11 penn stocks ended up in what's called the wheel pit gathering up all the water and filled half of this tunnel with water when the power station is off after this tunnel if you look like maybe the light exactly so where the lights are now that's how high the water was when this plant was operating constant flow constant slow exactly yep and coming out where for 105 years so the water would come out in the lower niagara river so all the water that was used for hydroelectric power generation was returned to the niagara river so take it in the upper river return to the lower river you've been with niagara parks for how long nine years okay was this even a thought when you started nine years ago not exactly no and so we knew that we wanted to do the adaptive reuse of but we actually have three decommissioned hydro plants this is the first one we turned into a new visitor attraction so we opened phase one last year in 2021 and now phase two with the tunnel experience in 2022 okay getting a little bit wet so that's why you have the ponchos it's part of the experience getting a little wet at niagara falls you know with the negative eye ons as mayor dio daddy talks about with uh from the falls itself but it literally is the light at the end of the tunnel and the best part about this too is being able to see the falls from a different vantage point that's right so a whole new perspective on the lower niagara river so i always say everyone should see the falls different uh seasons different time of day and from different perspectives so to see it from niagara city cruises on the boat tour experience to see it from niagara park's journey behind the falls or just located just the left of the horseshoe falls to feel the power of the falls or the zipline wild play niagara falls zipline are now here the tunnel on the lower viewing platform the tunnel is open and we'll explore the platform a little bit and how you constructed this when we come back our morning live good morning listening to the power of niagara falls coming down from a whole new vantage point it's the tunnel and it is open and some might put a poncho on when they come experience the tunnel but when the ceo of niagara parks david james doesn't wear a poncho that i'm not wearing a poncho either we're getting wet good to see you well you've got your great tourism shirt on here i've got a jacket on those i'm cheating a little bit but it's a great morning out here isn't it like the sun is shining the water flow over the falls to have out here on the viewing platform have our guests out here is spectacular mist is there always miss coming now almost almost always but there are some moments where there isn't and that's pretty special too just to be out here uh without the miss but then then again the mist is supposed to have all these negative ions as well to uh help your uh help help your skin oh this is good for your skin oh working out we're coming in everybody all right uh let's talk about the platform because the tunnel was here the tunnel has been here for over 100 years the platform is what you guys brought exactly tunnel was built in 1905. we built this viewing platform over four months from march to june 65 foot uh viewing platform out to the lower niagara gorge here uh ranking construction built it for us and uh you've got to admit it's a hell of a view uh from here well there's no precedence like what did you follow when you're coming up with the idea to build this platform or the tunnel all together well we worked with our attraction consultant foreck and a few others as well just sort of think what could be the experience here and we had different concepts for a viewing platform but we landed on this one because we did have to shore it up uh literally and figuratively for uh weather conditions think about the winter down here as well because we're gonna try and keep this attraction open year round the best we can so we may have some maintenance around march april when the ice boom comes out uh but we're gonna try and keep it open year round how do you want people to experience this we want them to enjoy the whole niagara park power station from the generator hall follow the flow of water through the 2200 foot brick line tunnel which is a great experience and come out and see the natural environment here it is quite something congratulations it's a team effort uh so many involved in this and uh niagara park is very proud from our commission to our staff but as you said being able to see the falls from different vantage points at different times of the year is is magical and it's just so special to have this now well and i can't wait to see it uh when it does start to get a little wintry down here imagine okay wanna go out let's go for a stroll let's get a little bit more wet the tunnel well the boat tour is out right now we're exploring on morning live

Channel: CHCH News

Views: 10,460

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Id: jsxpEsy4G24

Length: 11min 48sec (708 seconds)

Published: Fri Jul 08 2022