BUFFALO, N.Y. — Traffic jams are expected and the Town of Amherst is doing everything possible to lessen the congestion in the Boulevard shopping plaza.
A traffic study done by SRF Associates out of Rochester recommended ways to deal with additional traffic. Some of the suggestions include traffic signals on North Bailey Avenue near Best Buy at Romney Drive. Redesigning lanes were also part of the recommendations.
Amherst Town Supervisor Brian Kulpa said the study is helpful.
"It's a start that we have that study in hand so we kind of have an understanding of exactly what Costco's going to add to the mix and how many people are already, you know, going to be on site. We are also able to start to judge some of the transformations that have to happen in that area, but it's not a be-all and end-all. We still have some work to do and we're looking at things like the intersection of Maple and North Bailey now. We've got a very busy corridor and a very busy area and that's good. It's great to have it. So we want to make sure that we can do our best to accommodate traffic and this study is the sort of first step in that direction," Kulpa said.
The town of Amherst Engineering department is planning its own traffic study. Kulpa said it isn't Costco-centric.
"We've got other issues. Good luck using that post office if you're trying to get in and out," he said. "Ours is more of a systemic approach. We've been looking for the past few years at this area: the Boulevard Mall, Maple Rd. Niagara Falls Blvd. It's been something that we've been intent on seeing change in that space and so we do have a number of ideas about how we would change things and you know, we'll see where that takes us. "
Kulpa thinks the new store will open in the fall of 2025, if not sooner. "It's really up to the Costco people and what speed they want," he said.