BUFFALO, N.Y. — US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is coming to Buffalo Friday to discuss the project to cover a portion of the Kensington Expressway.
Buttigieg is coming here with U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer.
“Our infrastructure should connect, not divide our communities, and that is why I personally called Transportation Secretary Buttigieg to advocate for this major federal funding for the 33, Kensington Expressway project. I am thrilled to bring Secretary Pete Buttigieg to visit the site and see exactly how this federal funding will help bridge divides that the expressway created in these Buffalo communities,” said Senator Schumer in a release. “This $55 million from the Reconnecting Communities program is a big win for Buffalo that will help redesign the roadway not just for cars but for pedestrians and bicyclists with traffic-calming measures, crosswalks, bicycle lanes, and pedestrian and bicycle signals. It would also include a tree-lined walkable park in the median with gardens, sidewalks, and benches, connecting it with the adjacent Martin Luther King Jr. Park.”
Schumer added, “This is truly a historic day for Buffalo, and I thank the community groups like Restore Our Community Coalition and Governor Hochul – who has been a real leader on this, and look forward to having Senator Gillibrand, Rep. Higgins, Mayor Brown, Majority Leader Crystal People Stokes, Sen. Tim Kennedy and the state delegation in my corner as we begin to reconnect neighborhoods torn apart by the Kensington Expressway.”
The project will reconnect the surrounding neighborhoods, and it's receiving a $55 million federal grant.
Buttigieg will be joined by a number of high-powered elected officials, including New York Governor Hochul, Schumer, and Kirsten Gillibrand.
He is also expected to meet with community leaders who have long advocated for this project.