Tonawanda, N.Y. (WBEN) - If the push to expand the Metro Rail is back on, so is the battle of whether or not the plan is a good idea in the first place.
Congressman Tim Kennedy (D, NY-26) told WBEN on Monday that securing funding for the project to expand the Metro Rail to the University at Buffalo North Campus is a priority of his as he went back to Washington, D.C.
"Now is the time to think big," Kennedy said. "This could transform our community and our economy."
The idea has received pushback in the past.
Former Tonawanda Supervisor Joe Emminger says he couldn't support the project because too many residents had spoken out about its negative impacts.
"On a macro level, I understand the benefit to the overall community, to Western New York, etcetera," said current Town of Tonawanda Supervisor John Flynn. "I'm looking out for the residents of the Town of Tonawanda. I'm not going to let Tonawanda take a backseat to Amherst for anything."
Flynn didn't say he was opposed to Metro expansion, but said the project would largely benefit Amherst with its multiple stops in that town, while potentially negatively impacting homeowners along Niagara Falls Boulevard in Tonawanda.
"You're probably going to make the argument that 150 homes is not going to outweigh the benefit to the entire community, if we're being honest," Flynn said. "That doesn't mean you can't look out for those 150 people, which I'm going to. You can't just dismiss those 150 people. You can't dismiss the people who live a block in from Niagara Falls Boulevard."
As of now, rail expansion is still just an idea. The project is estimated to cost at least $2 Billion, and wouldn't start until at least 2030.
"I'm looking out for the residents of the Town of Tonawanda. I'm not going to let Tonawanda take a backseat to Amherst for anything" - John Flynn
"I'm looking out for the residents of the Town of Tonawanda. I'm not going to let Tonawanda take a backseat to Amherst for anything" - John Flynn
