Photo courtesy of NYSDOT
The purpose of the project is to reconnect the community surrounding the defined transportation corridor and improve the compatibility of the corridor with the adjacent land uses, while addressing the geometric, infrastructure and multi-modal needs within the corridor in its current location.
The $1 billion publicly financed plan to redesign and cap the Kensington Expressway in Buffalo has been given the "green light" by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, the Niagara Gazette reported Feb. 25.
During a press conference earlier in February in Buffalo, Hochul described a federal agency's recent finding of no significant environmental impacts related to the project as a "critically important step" while suggesting the clearance signals "full steam ahead" for the controversial project that has been opposed by many residents living on the city's East Side.
"Today's decision by the Federal Highway Administration [FHWA] allows us to move ahead on this transformational project to right the wrongs of the past and start construction later this year," the governor said. "But we are not done yet and will continue to rely on the project's most important architects — local community members — to share their vision and partner with us as we study opportunities to reconnect the East Buffalo community in a way that makes residents proud."
The project, which has been in the works for several years, is intended to reconnect East Side Buffalo neighborhoods that were divided when the Kensington Expressway was constructed between 1958 and 1971.
The proposed effort involves replacing the below-grade expressway with a 4,150-ft.-long, six-lane tunnel between Dodge and Sidney streets.
As designed, it would also create a 90-ft.-wide, tree-lined median on top of the tunnel, providing roughly 11 acres of new, publicly accessible green space as well as the rehabilitation of 9 mi. of local streets, including resurfacing and replacement of sidewalks, curbs, driveway aprons, lighting, signals and new tree plantings as needed.
Additionally, a replacement of the Best Street Bridge and the installation of a roundabout at the Best Street interchange also are set to get under way.
New Construction to Correct ‘Historical Injustice'
The Kensington Expressway replaced what had been a grand, tree-lined boulevard — the historic Humboldt Parkway designed by Frederick Law Olmsted — with a below-grade highway that cut through the heart of the surrounding East Buffalo neighborhoods.
To correct what she described as a "historical injustice and its long-lasting impact," Hochul has set aside $1 billion in state funding for the project.
The Niagara news source noted that earlier this year, the Biden-Harris administration announced an award of $55.6 million to support the project through the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program, a first-of-its-kind initiative established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to reconnect communities that are cut off from opportunity and burdened by past transportation infrastructure decisions.
Still, the Gazette noted that the construction effort has faced growing opposition in recent months from neighborhood groups, some of which have expressed support for removing the Kensington Expressway entirely rather than covering it.
During Hochul's press conference on the matter, she offered her full support for the project alternative that local and state officials chose to pursue. She noted that the finding of no significant environmental concerns by the FHWA clears the way for the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) to advance to the final design stages before beginning construction by this fall.
Hochul also announced that her office is directing NYSDOT to commence a study this year on additional potential enhancements to further reconnect Buffalo's East Side community all the way up to the Scajaquada Expressway and Delaware Park as well as a new vision for a reimagined Humboldt Parkway that implements "Complete Street" roadway design features.
The governor's stance on the project received support from several local, state and federal officials, including New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand who said she is glad to see the project move on to the next step.
"With construction set to begin this fall, we will be able to right this historic wrong, create jobs right here in the community, provide new green space, and reinvigorate the neighborhood," Gillibrand explained.
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