Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The New York State Department of Transportation announced Tuesday morning a step forward in the process for the $1 billion dollar Kensington Project to connect neighborhoods in Buffalo.
The New York State Department of Transportation is going forward with a 6-lane tunnel concept with green space above the tunnel coverings, starting on Dodge Street and ending at Sidney Street, 600 feet longer than promised. The tunnel was originally slated to end near East Ferry.
With more clarity and definition to the project, it is met with a healthy mix of praise and skepticism within the community of the City of Buffalo.
Buffalo Common Council President and Ellicott District representative Darius Pridgen commends the work of the State Department of Transportation for putting the plans in motion, "I think it does even more than reconnect the neighborhood. What it does is it transforms a neighborhood. You know, not many people want to live in a neighborhood with a highway going right in the middle of it. So I think that it brings back the Olmstead vision, obviously, of a connected community and some of the people who are against it will be some of the ones who will enjoy it in the future. So I think that it's a very important project."
The council president is also very happy with the extension of the project as he believes that the DOT is listening to the community input, "I absolutely think the Department is listening to the community or else they wouldn't have even talked about extending the covering. 10, 15, 20 years ago, this was just a dream and to really see the Governor, see the state moving, not just talking about it, not just pandering, but really getting the work done and putting forward the money to get it done is a step in the right direction."
Professor and Head of the Urban Studies Department for the University at Buffalo, Dr. Henry-Louis Taylor Jr. tells WBEN this is great news, but he is a little skeptical, "I don't have any problem with the direction, I think covering the the tunnel with green space is a good concept and idea. My only concern is that the project itself is being overhyped. There is not extensive money that's going to be made for the redevelopment of those neighborhoods, the covering of the expressway itself is not going to trigger the transformation of a neighborhood in the community. It's a step forward and I'm delighted that we've got that far, but I think that we need to stop overhyping this and calling it a turning point for the East Side and a game changer because it simply isn't that, it's just covering the highway with green space."
What would be a real game changer in Dr. Taylor's mind? Employing the East Side with jobs to work on the project, "Who gets the jobs to do the work? Why aren't there training programs being put into place right now so that a significant number of the workers on that project comes from the East Side? Now, if that was to happen, if say, 75% of the workers and 75% of the people who got the contract were East side residents, now you're talking about a game changer, but I don't see anything in place to make that happen and that's my great criticism," says Dr. Taylor.
With the project not starting construction until late 2024, Dr. Taylor argues there could be enough time to recruit workers from the East Side. Maybe the Community Outreach Center on Humboldt Parkway that was designed to hear from the community and answer their questions about the project could implement something like that going forward to assure money and revenue is distributed throughout the East Side.
It would appear the community is supportive of the green space concept, as the street will look more complete once the project is complete, something that the Commissioner of the NYSDOT, Marie Therese Dominguez prioritizes, like proper pedestrian and bike access.
"One of the big questions that we have, and I'm sure that that will come out with additional research and work is what happens to all of that pollution under the tunnel? How is that being mitigated because the pollution won't flow to the top, but if it's in that tunnel and it comes out of the other end, it can still be extremely problematic. So I'll be looking for the answers to that specific question, which I think is huge," says Dr. Taylor
