BoredomMD.com- September 18, 2019- Latest Buffalo Skyway plans ignore commuter impact. The winner of Gov. Cuomo’s Skyway contest has been announced. The plan calls for making it into an elevated park and removing ramps on the sides of the Skyway bridge on Church Street and Prime Streets.
And the 40,000 vehicles that travel it a day—good luck!! You get to take the South Michigan Avenue Bridge and Ohio Street. Didn’t we experience what kind of traffic jams that creates already when they were working on the Skyway and Route 5?
And the cost of this “park”- $600 million. NYSDOT has said it would take more than $100 million over the next 20 years to rehabilitate the bridge. So, let’s see $600 million for a park, $100 million to maintain bridge for traffic flow from Southtowns. And, we just spent $30 million for repairs from 2018 to 2020.
And, now we get to pay $10 million for an environmental study for this $600 million park. Oh yes, and traffic studies that would explore the impact of removing the Skyway on commutes –wonder which consulting firm will get that project? Duh, wouldn’t impact of traffic flow been a critical part of the contest/plans?
Per the Buffalo News on September 19th, supposedly making the Skyway into park rather than highway will only add 5 minutes to your commute. Raise your hand if you believe that?
The new plan calls for dispersing traffic onto expanded side streets and over a lift bridge which would be phased in over, yes, 12 YEARS. According to the article, the plan calls for extending Tifft Street for one mile and turning it until a 4 lane road to carry traffic from Route 5 (40% of traffic) and another 40% would take Ohio Street. The bridge over South Michigan is only project to handle 4-7% of traffic. Given the back-ups on I-190 already this past summer, adding an extra 5 minutes to your commute seems overly optimistic.
And, on September 21, the Skyway will be open both ways on Sunday which is good news for Bills Fans, especially those from Canada. ANOTHER event that will be drastically affected by converting the Skyway to a park– those going to Bills games.
