BUFFALO, N.Y. — U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer was in Buffalo on Friday to announce that he is applying for a $25 million federal grant to transform part of Main Street in Buffalo.
"Potholes, cracked pavement, no lines, deteriorating sidewalks, outdated infrastructure," Schumer said.
And the list goes on.
While we won't know until later this year if the $25 million federal grant is awarded to the middle Main project, we do know the city has already set aside $17 million for upgrades to this stretch of Main Street that goes from Goodell to Kensington.
"It's a very long stretch of Main Street that really picks up where Cars On Main has left off at this point," Buffalo Public Works commissioner Michael Finn said Friday.
So what would change? A lot.
New crosswalks and curbs would be complaint with the Americans With Disabilities Act. Potholes would be gone with the entire stretch getting milled and repaved. Raised bike lanes would make the road safer for cyclists.
"Too many of our city's streets are built for high speed and those out walking and riding are constantly putting their lives in danger. Protected cycle paths here, these raised cycle paths, are a huge deal to us. They would recognize and address this issue of safety we have on our roads," Kevin Heffernan with GoBike Buffalo said.
And commissioned artwork would highlight the work of local artists.
Traffic flow can also be a big issue for drivers on middle Main, so some of the new funding would pay for new technology to make the lights time out better.
Phase 1 of the project is set to start next year, and you can share your opinion about the project with the city right now.