Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Work has been ongoing since 2019 to revitalize the DL&W Terminal in Buffalo's Cobblestone District, with the hopes of opening the light-rail station not just as an extension of the current system, but also making it a community hub.
While work to fully complete the vision of DL&W Terminal's future development will continue over the next few years, the station is soon ready to open for riders in Downtown Buffalo.
"A lot has been done on Canalside, this is the Cobblestone District, so what we're doing is building on the momentum of all the exciting work that's been done at Canalside, and connecting that into the Cobblestone," said Kimberly Minkel, executive director with the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA). "It's a great gathering space, it's a space that was always public. We're excited to bring the public back to it."
Minkel expects the station to be fully operational and open to the public sometime in the fall, before the transition to winter.
The DL&W Terminal was originally constructed in 1917, and after it closed in 1968, the NFTA acquired it in 1979 and utilized the property as a maintenance yard for Metro Rail trains.
With the building being more than 100-years-old, like any building of that age, it required quite a bit of tender loving care before re-opening for the public.
Arguably the most important part of this project is ensuring the terminal is stable and functional enough to officially open the expansion of the light-rail system.
"We have a $57 million project in total, was to do the first extension of our light-rail system into the DL&W building. That required tearing out the tracks, the track work and catenary work, and replacing them with revenue service track work and catenary," Minkel explained with WBEN. "There's a new pedestrian walkway, and we are finishing up the East tower, that's on the base of Illinois Street. And a new train station is being incorporated into the first floor of the DL&W building that faces the Buffalo River."
One component of this stage of the project that has Minkel particularly excited is the public artwork that will help give the DL&W Terminal an extra breath of life.
"The main entrance walkway from Canalside gathering into the new station will have laser-cut aluminum panels that were designed by artist Rob Ley. They're going to be mounted on the existing railing next to the rail yard. They mimic the ripples in the water, so as you're riding the train into the new station, you'll see movement, and that's very exciting," Minkel noted.
"When you get into the new station, you can either get in on the train or if you're walking in from Canalside from the Riverwalk, you can enter in that way. And the back wall has white tiling. The full back wall is treated with the ceramic white tile and hand-painted tile and glass mosaic inserts that depict birds of Buffalo. It looks absolutely spectacular, and that's being designed by artist Joan Linder.
"And then greeting you in the lobby portion of the new station is a statute that was designed by Harumo Sato, the artist is constructing a 3-foot wide by 7-feet long and 5-foot heist statue that's being placed on a pedestal in the station lobby. That has hand-painted images reflecting Buffalo's history and heritage. I can't wait until that goes in, because art generates so many different kinds of emotions."
Another aspect of the DL&W Terminal project that was quite unexpected in the last few years was the collapse of a section of the shoreline behind the terminal along the Buffalo River.
"Back on July 30, 2022, to be exact, we had a section that was approximately 12 feet-by-200 feet collapse and fall into the Buffalo River. We immediately stabilize that, so that was done in summer of '23. That was an $8 million project, and it was completely restored last summer, is when it was completed," Minkel noted. "But we had an additional 1,700 feet of shoreline that we brought in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a number of engineers to take a look at that, and 1,500 feet of that shoreline, we will start this fall on a $26 million project to shore up that shoreline, to help provide stability so that we don't have to worry about any future collapses. The DL&W is right along the water's edge, so we want to make certain that's secure and stable."
The shoreline rehabilitation is expected to be complete by December of 2026, with the $26 million part of the project starting this fall.
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Then as you move up to the second level of the DL&W Terminal, the NFTA Board of Commissioners just awarded work for three major components of the next phase of the project.
"One is to build a new freight and truck elevator that will bring food trucks and other equipment to the second level of the DL&W. A new pedestrian bridge that will connect KeyBank Center to the second level of the DL&W, so that it will be a completely 'coatless' environment. Imagine going to a Buffalo Sabres game, leaving, walking through that new pedestrian bridge, going down into the new station, heading all the way up to a University Station and never having to walk outside," Minkel said.
"The final component is the outside space on the second level of the DL&W. We have about 60,000 square feet of space, and that new decking is going on, and a new curtain wall that will look into the interior space of the second floor. But all the work is being done on the exterior space, so that by this time next summer, we can bring the public up to the second level and hold events outside. So imagine hanging out outside on the second level patio with food trucks, music, smelling Cheerios and Lucky Charms, and enjoying the beautiful views looking down at the Buffalo River."
The freight and truck elevator, as well as the outer deck space is expected to be complete by the summer of 2026, while the pedestrian bridge connecting DL&W to KeyBank Center is likely to be completed the following year.
According to Buffalo Business First, that work is expected to total around $90 million, binging the total amount of costs for the project to around $181 million.
The NFTA does have a pre-development agreement with local developer Sam Savarino, who has proposed a large public market with numerous restaurants and shops as part of the second floor phase of the project.
A timeline published by Savarino's team states they plan to begin work soon and open the market by 2028.
However, Minkel says the NFTA has yet to sign a final agreement with Savarino, adding both sides are still in negotiations about future development.
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