BUFFALO (WBEN) - Numerous local officials gathered at the Buffalo Museum of Science Friday afternoon to stand united behind what they believe to be the city's priority infrastructure project - the Kensington Expressway.
Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, State Senator Tim Kennedy, Congressman Brian Higgins and Mayor Byron Brown are now calling on the New York State Department of Transportation to expedite the Environmental Impact Statement for a Route 33 redesign.
"Redesigning Route 33 is a unique opportunity to address the generational harm done by the Kensington Expressway when it tore into the Martin Luther King and Hamlin Park neighborhoods," said Peoples-Stokes. "Restoring these communities is a matter of racial justice, quality of life, environmental health, and community development. Prioritizing investments in the redesign of Route 33 will significantly help to correct these injustices."
They emphasized that the city needs shovel-ready infrastructure projects identified and approved as soon as possible to secure federal funding coming from the American Jobs Plan.
As Kennedy outlined in a letter to NYSDOT Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez, "we write to respectfully urge you to direct NYSDOT to expeditiously complete an EIS for proposals to cover the Kensington Expressway between Best Street and East Ferry Street, reconnecting a historic neighborhood that was split in half by the construction of this highway through the path of the former Olmsted-designed Humboldt Parkway."
While Kennedy and Higgins have repeatedly made cases for why the Skyway should be torn down and viewed as a priority infrastructure project, they've recently backed off that stance, saying that will come 10-15 years down the line. As of this moment, they are intent on prioritizing the restoration of the Humboldt Parkway.
"We need to position Buffalo to make smart decisions," said Higgins. "The EIS process is a required step in making projects eligible for federal funding.
"It will examine the options and provide opportunities for public feedback," the congressman continued. "The Biden administration and Transportation Secretary Buttigieg are leading an effort to right historic transportation wrongs that have divided communities. They can start right here in Buffalo..."
