Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The New York State Department of Transportation took another step forward in the Kensington Expressway Project as they advanced a scoping report for the project and a combination of two project concepts for a required environmental review based on community input that took place in June.
"New York State DOT determined that construction of a six-lane tunnel between Dodge Street and Sidney Street best fulfills the project's objectives and should be advanced for further detailed study in an environmental assessment," said NYSDOT Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez at the Buffalo Museum of Science on Tuesday.
"The concept we're advancing today is a combination of what we outlined in June of concepts five and six, which is really a six lane tunnel with either a tree or a garden like setting. In that vein, publicly accessible green space would be constructed on top of the tunnel, potentially including rows of trees, pathways, benches, and other streetscape amenities. The tunnel would replace existing bridges at East Ferry Street, East Utica Street, Northampton Street and Dodge Street and the Best Street bridge would be replaced," the commissioner says.
The ultimate goal of this $1 billion project, as previously stated by various state elected officials, is to reconnect the community that the Kensington divided when it was built decades ago.
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Based on community input, the NYSDOT have decided to extend the project about 600 feet. The tunnel will begin before Dodge St. and push beyond East Ferry St. and end past Sidney Street. The commissioner said it will have no effect on the timetable or the budget of this project.
The NYSDOT have also opened a Community Outreach Center at 878 Humboldt Parkway.
Moving forward, "We're looking at this environmental assessment process as what will undertake over the course of the next year. We have to do a lot more study, a lot more work, we will continue our public engagement as part of that process, but we're really looking to do is be in a position so that we get final federal approval sometime early in 2024 and by the end of 2024, we're looking to make sure that we go to construction on this project," said Commissioner Dominguez.
Chief Engineer Nick Choubah says that this "tunnel" is more of a covering a no tunnel equipment will be necessary for this project, "We're going to build a structure, a bridge that basically spans the entire length of the Kensington. So we don't expect having a tunneling machine here, but the outcome will be a full tunnel and mostly it's a cover of the Kensington."
Choubah expects construction to last about three years.
The commissioner also highlights other objectives of the project, "What we're doing is not only improving vehicular transport, but also looking at making sure, we have complete streets. That we've got pedestrian and bike access across the board and doing that complete streets treatment for all the roadway design features. What we're really looking to do is address the geometric and infrastructure deficiencies that have been identified for a long time. We know from an engineering perspective, that there are problems right now, we've got a very old piece of infrastructure that really needs to be addressed so the timing is right, the need is defined and we're moving forward."