Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Friday, on the steps of the Buffalo Museum of Science, New York State Assembly Majority Leader, Crystal Peoples-Stokes alongside Senator Tim Kennedy, Congressman Brian Higgins, Mayor Byron Brown and Buffalo's Restoring our Community Coalition, announced a $1 billion dollar investment from the 2022-23 state budget for the redesign of a portion of Buffalo's Kensington Expressway.
"The project seeks to fully cover Route 33 Kensington Expressway from East Ferry to almost Best Street to restore Frederick Law Olmsted's vision for Humboldt Parkway while reconnecting the Hamlin Park, Cold springs and MLK neighborhoods," said NYS Assembly Majority Leader, Crystal Peoples-Stokes.
The Expressway was built over 60 years ago and the Assembly Majority Leader hopes this money can right the injustices of the 33, "Since this construction, the Kensington Expressway has severed and disrupted our community and our recreational spaces in particularly, Humboldt Parkway, which connected MLK Park with Delaware Park, which is the nexus of the crown jewel of the Buffalo Olmstead park system. The project, as seen rightly by many, is a way to correct past injustices for communities of color that primarily reside in the neighborhoods where the highway has separated it."
"Environmental injustices that have negatively impacted low income communities nationwide, by way of increased traffic pollution have led to health implications, cancers, lupus, asthma and other environmental issues as well as decrease the value of property. Environmental racism, racial discrimination in the environment, environmental policymaking and the enforcement of regulations and laws is unfair. It needs to stop. This starts us in that process of stopping it in this particular community, on the East Side of Buffalo in the great state of New York," said Peoples-Stokes. "Is there more work to be done in terms of environmental justice and racism? Absolutely. But let us start here, ROCC has been working on it for multiple decades. Elected leaders have joined us in making a difference here, and it is exciting to be able to be here today and to announce it."
New York State Senator Tim Kennedy said this is the largest infrastructure project in the history of Western New York, "We're not only going to do it in our lifetimes, we are going to do it this decade. We're going to see shovels in the ground in the next couple of years and I can't wait to see that day happen."
This project comes with a $30 million dollar Environmental Impact Study in addition to the $1 billion, "It has to be done," said Peoples-Stokes.
This project has been a long-time effort of Buffalo's Restore Our Community Coalition.
There is no timeline on when construction of this project will commence.
To listen to the full conference, see the player below: