BUFFALO (WBEN) - Congressman Brian Higgins and State Senator Tim Kennedy are continuing their push for the removal of the Skyway, pointing to safety concerns as yet another reason to take down the structure.
Brian Higgins said they are filing a notice of hazardous condition to the New York State Attorney General, State Commissioner of the Department of Transportation and to the Commissioner of Environmental Conservation, citing hazardous conditions for motorists, pedestrians and the environment at the Outer Harbor.(Read safety report below)
"Engineers characterize the Skyway as 'fracture critical' and 'functionally obselete,'" said Higgins. "This highway does not conform with federal basic safety standards, and it never will."
Higgins noted the lack of shoulders, inadequate lines of sight for merging and unacceptable ramp features as some of the outdated design flaws, and he added that traffic is diverted from the Skyway an average of 190 times per year due to accidents, disabled vehicles and weather.
"What we're talking about here today lends credence once again to the need to take this Skyway down," said Kennedy. "It's been an albatross to development in our community, and that acts as an obstruction."