BUFFALO, N.Y. — While the NYSDOT has determined its preferred design for the Kensington Expressway redevelopment, adjacent streets will also be getting some attention.
Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez announced that over a dozen streets in the neighborhoods surrounding the Kensington Expressway will also see improvements.
"We're dedicated not just to engaging, but fundamentally listening to and responding to the community," Commissioner Dominguez said.
The improvements include freshly milled and paved roads, new granite curbs, new sidewalks, and new lighting. Additionally, the selected streets will have ADA-compliant crosswalks.
The following streets will receive the localized improvements: High St., Genesee St., Best St., Johnson St., Dodge St., Northampton St., Kingsley St., Girardi Place., Riley St., Landon St., East Utica St., Wohlers Ave., Filmore Ave., Woeppel Ave., Glenwood Ave., Winslow Ave., Woodlawn Ave., East Ferry St., Goulding Ave., Butler Ave., Interpark Ave., Sidney St., Brunswick Blvd., Hamlin Rd., and Northland Ave.
There are additional streets identified on the map released by the DOT for improvements, but they weren't actually labeled.
"This project is fundamentally all about the quality of life and improving the quality of life for the residents in the surrounding neighborhoods," Commissioner Dominguez said. "So expanding our work to the adjacent neighborhoods only makes sense."
The expansion came to the surprise of Stephanie Barber Geter, a community activist who has worked tirelessly for decades on the Kensington project.
"This is such a shaking surprise to me," Geter said. "This is such an awesome gift and signifies that we matter."
Normally, the city of Buffalo is responsible for streetscape development like the ones being proposed by the NYSDOT.
Neither Mayor Brown nor DPW Commissioner Marton attended the announcement, but the plan allegedly has their blessing according to NYSDOT officials.
As for how much the expansion of the project will cost, the DOT says they're using part of the $1B allocated for the overall Kensington project to make the announced improvements.
Since the general Kensington project hasn't gone out to bid yet, the DOT doesn't know how much the expansion could tack on to the overall cost of the project.
There has been some criticism of the project by members of the public, though mostly through social media and blog posts. The one point of criticism that has gained traction is the overall cost, and the relatively short distance the changes to the Kensington will be made.
The project will cover approximately 4,600 feet of Kensington and create a 6-lane tunnel. Above ground, a park reminiscent of the original Olmstead design will be constructed.
In Rochester, the Inner Loop was filled in and changed to a complete street (similar to the recent changes on Niagara St.) and cost a little more than $30M.
While there are many things different about the Kensington project, specifically the hundreds of families that live in the neighborhood versus a mostly commercial section in Rochester, DOT officials explained why the fill-in option was passed over.
"This is balancing the needs of the community," said NYSDOT Chief Engineer Nick Choubah. "But also at the same time maintaining the transportation needs that exist, I mean, the Kensington today carries approximately 80,000 cars, so it was a balancing between reconnecting the community and preserving that link."
Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes objected to criticism of the project and the costs associated with it.
"Don't be surprised when a billion dollars gets spent on the east side of Buffalo because it's gonna happen again," Peoples-Stokes said. "Don't question it because when a billion dollars get spent anywhere in the state of New York, nobody asks 'Why are you doing that?'"
Peoples-Stokes echoed the excitement that Stephanie Barber Geter expressed about the announcement of the project expansion.
"We're doing it here because we're reconnecting to the community as was planned by the citizens who live here," Peoples-Stokes said. "Now if some other people want to come, they're welcome, but the plan has already been laid out but the people who live here right now."
The NYSDOT says an environmental study will be conducted through 2023, and shoves won't be in the ground for this project until late 2024.
A public meeting will be held about the expansion of the project on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, at the Buffalo Science Museum. The public meeting will run from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5 p.m.- 8 p.m.