Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The extensive $1 billion project to cap the Kensington Expressway in East Buffalo to re-connect communities split by the highway is inching closer and closer to becoming a reality.
Members of state and local government, as well as others within the East Buffalo community and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) gathered on Monday to announce additional improvements to approximately nine miles of local streets, and the enhancement of accommodations for pedestrians in the immediate vicinity of the project. This will include several improvements to streets on both sides of the Expressway as part of project's goal of re-connecting neighborhoods and strengthening local communities that were ripped apart by the highway's construction.
"The heart of this project is reuniting both sides of, what is now, the 33, and improving the quality of life for the residents in these neighborhoods," said Commissioner of the NYSDOT, Marie Therese Dominguez. "As part of our proposed changes to the project, we are proposing to expand our investment in the roads in-and-around the project limits of the Kensington."
Plans now being developed call for local streets inside the project limits to be milled and overlayed with new asphalt. Sidewalks, ramps and driveway aprons will be replaced and upgraded as needed to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act and enhance mobility and safety for pedestrians. Street lighting and traffic signals will also be upgraded as needed. New grass and trees may also be included.
It was based on the engagement with the community and residents putting forward ideas for the project that allowed the NYSDOT to directly translate those into new proposals that will not only enhance safety, but also the quality of life for citizens in the neighborhoods benefitting from the project.
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"Key to the process has been community engagement," Dominguez said. "NYSDOT has a community outreach office located right here at the Fellowship World Church, which is adjacent to MLK Park. We're dedicated not just to engaging, but fundamentally listening to and responding to the community, as we develop the various aspects of this project. We've been working diligently with the stakeholders, meeting regularly. It's been a sharing of ideas, and most importantly, listening. Listening to the community and responding."
The boundaries of this work will be between Wohlers Avenue and Fillmore Avenue from Genesee Street/High Street on the South to Northland Street on the North.
Along with the addition of the street enhancements and improved pedestrian accommodations, other changes include adding a roundabout option that widens Best Street in addition to the previously discussed traffic signal intersection.
Constructed during the 1950s and 1960s, 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 severed the connection between the surrounding neighborhoods.
With up to $1 billion set aside by Gov. Kathy Hochul for this project in East Buffalo, the neighborhoods that were divided by the Kensington Expressway's original construction will once again be reunited.
Dominguez says if all goes according to the schedule in place, she's looking to have shovels in the ground for this project by the end of 2024.
Monday's announcement was made in advance of a pair of community input events on Tuesday, as the NYSDOT will host two public meetings set at the Buffalo Museum of Science from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET, as well as 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET. These two input meetings will provide an update to the community on the progress of the project, and allow for comment and feedback on the project as part of the Environmental Assessment process.
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"Folks are going to see some of these new ideas that we're bringing forward, the New York State DOT is bringing forward. And again, it's all based on the public input we've received," Dominguez said.
"We still have a lot more work to do. This is just still, basically, in the beginning half of our work. We're driving towards expeditiously advancing this project. ... We're going to be listening. We're going to be taking notes, we're going to be capturing people's comments, and we're going to be hearing and acting [on] what we hear from the community and incorporating them into the project as we move forward. And just like we've done these many months, we're going to do that in collaboration with the community, because we really want to truly develop a successful path forward."
New York State Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples-Stokes called Monday's announcement another win for surrounding neighborhoods and its residents. She says with the anticipated streetscape enhancements just announced, it is another reason for residents of the community to attend Tuesday's public meeting to learn more about the transformational project.
"These community infrastructure improvements will be made between Wolhers Avenue and Fillmore Avenue, from Genesee Street to High Street to Northland. That's a significant portion of the East Side of Buffalo, where residents have always lived and worked, that will make their quality of life that much better. I'm so excited about it," said Peoples-Stokes during Monday's press conference. "We urge everyone to visit between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. at the Science Museum to learn more about the ROCC project, review progress that has been made, and provide your feedback on further refinement. This project is going from good to better to best. It's time to go. Let's go."
State Sen. Tim Kennedy says the Kensington Expressway project is a community-driven project from start-to-finish. The scope of the project has been, and is currently being expanded to further improve the quality of life for residents on the streets of East Buffalo.
"I've had the true honor and privilege to serve as the Chair of the Transportation Committee for the last five years in the Majority in the Senate. In those five years, the amount of funding we've brought to the City of Buffalo has multiplied by 256% from 2018 for our local roads. And with the Majority Leader [Peoples-Stokes]'s help, this year alone from last year, another 25% increase alone from last year, over $20 million for our roads throughout the City of Buffalo," said Kennedy during Monday's announcement. "We are so proud to be able to deliver these funds, but it's important that the community's voices heard on how these funds are brought into the community and how those are expended.
"We want to make sure that the community's voice is heard in implementing those funds, and to making this the most magnificent project for economic justice, for environmental justice, for racial and social justice, and be a model for the rest of the nation to be proud of. And I'm so excited to be a part of it."
Stephanie Geter serves as the President of the Restore Our Community Coalition (ROCC), who originally brought the idea for the Kensington Expressway project to the NYSDOT. She says this contribution from New York State is not only an awesome gift, but it signifies that the City of Buffalo matters.
"I have to tell you that most of our streets are poorly lit, many of our streets are only half occupied with homes. When you disinvest in a community, you rob it often of the best and most prosperous citizens. That happened over a 40-year period. This lot right here had three houses, those families are gone, as you can see. This represents such a hope, and I'll tell you, it's a whole lot of money," said Geter on Monday. "We started working with the DOT about 15 years ago, and they'll agree, it was hard, it was tough. They're in the business of moving vehicles, but I think they will now tell you they are in the business of reuniting neighborhoods."
While she is unaware of how much this project is going to cost in the end, Geter says this project is going to be big. That's why she is encouraging people from the neighborhood to make it down to Tuesday's public input meetings.
"Come and see our plan tomorrow I think you're gonna like it. It's got it all going on," Geter said. "And if there's something you think we've missed, or that we straight-out got it wrong, tell us. We already know the one thing that some people would like to have it filled in, and we could sit down and give you an hour long conversation on why that got tossed. But look at the rest of it, and tell us what you think."
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As for what Geter would like to hear in particular from residents on Tuesday, there are a number of different topics she's curious for the public's input on.
"I'd like to have some feedback on what's gonna happen at the Best Street exit. I'd like to hear what people think about what are we gonna do next, such as from Sidney Street to the front of Delaware Park, because we see it as one road," she said. "It's one road, when you come in, it's one road. 'Oh, this is the 33 North, this is the Scajaquada.' No one thinks that. I want to hear what people think about what else we should do to make it the neighborhood, and a part of town worthy of all of us. I'd like to hear people tell us what we missed, what was our blind spot. I like that, because that keeps you sharp."
Hear more from Geter following Monday's press conference available in the player below:
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