BUFFALO, N.Y. — On the heels of an announcement of a massive infrastructure improvement on Main Street, more money is flowing into Buffalo for some similar projects.
It's going to be spent in an area of the city, which local leaders say has been neglected for far too long.
$95 will be spent to improve sections of Jefferson Avenue, Bailey Avenue, and Michigan Street on the city's East Side.
Much of it is coming from the recently passed federal infrastructure bill, with additional dollars from New York State which extended funds in the wake of the massacre at the Tops Market on Jefferson Avenue on May 14.
"It's very unfortunate that it took tragedy to bring light and attention to the east side of Buffalo, but as the saying goes, when you have your 15 minutes of fame, it's all about what you do with it," said Mark Boyd, the chief of staff to New York State Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes (D-Buffalo).
The work will include repaving the streets, installing new sidewalks and curbs, new LED street lights, bike lanes, and traffic calming measures such as reducing the number of traffic lanes to one in each dire4ction with a turning lane in the middle, similar to the types of redesigns made to other major thoroughfares in other parts of the city in recent years.
The work will be done in stages over the next four years.
"When you have a healthy commercial district you know you have places for people to walk and to take pride in their community," said U.S. Rep. Brian Higgins (D-South Buffalo), who predicted the infrastructure improvements will help the economically depressed area which has struggled for decades.
"This is an area of the city that's experienced a lot of disinvestment over many many decades," Higgins said. "When we re-did Ohio street with $10 million of federal money it generated private sector investment along Ohio Street. The same is true with Niagara Street. What was previously dilapidated buildings were redeveloped, and so you reactivate the commercial district by making the infrastructure investment and that will happen here."
Added Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown: "This isn't just a hope and a dream. These are real projects and real dollars that are going to start moving very quickly."