BUFFALO (WBEN - Brendan Keany) - Senator Chuck Schumer stopped in Buffalo on Monday afternoon to discuss the continuing efforts to further develop and revitalize the Main Street corridor in Downtown Buffalo.
With the recent announcement of M&T bringing around 1,000 jobs to the Seneca One tower, Schumer and Mayor Byron Brown noted that this would be a perfect time to finish the "Cars on Main" project, so that Buffalo can become one of the major tech hubs in the country.
"This part of Main Street, and all of Main Street, must be accessible by car," began Schumer. "So, I am here today to launch a major effort to get $25 million in federal funding to complete the 'Cars on Main' program."
The senator explained that he's calling on the Department of Transportation to approve the city's application for federal funding through the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Transportation Discretionary Grants program, which Schumer noted is very competitive money, but he's optimistic because this project fits the criteria of the grant.
"We have been able to secure $53 million, so far, to open Main Street to vehicular traffic - most of that, federal money with the senator's support," said Brown. "We have seen, as we have opened Main Street to vehicular traffic, significant economic development investment by the private sector that matches the infrastructure investment that has been put in by the public sector."
The city's application for the build grant has already been submitted, and the grant should be awarded in the next three to six months. If Buffalo were awarded the $25 million, Public Works Commissioner Michael Finn says construction could take as many as three years to complete.
"Under Mayor Brown's leadership, we've more than halfway restored Main Street so that cars can come, and this is the one final step," said Schumer. "What gives us a great opportunity here is the new jobs coming to One Seneca."
