Project Groundbreaking in East Buffalo Expected by Late 2024
Environmental Assessment Already Underway and will be Completed in Less than Two Years
New Website Launches Today as Part of Ongoing Public Engagement Process
Two Public Scoping Meetings to be Held on June 30 at the Buffalo Museum of Science
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that an environmental assessment for the Kensington Expressway project is underway and will be completed in early 2024, opening the door for an official groundbreaking by the end of that year. A new website is also being launched in advance of two public scoping meetings being held at the Buffalo Museum of Science on June 30.
"With East Buffalo and all New Yorkers still reeling from the horrific terrorist attack that took place at Tops Supermarket last month, I am laser-focused on uplifting this community now and into the future," Governor Hochul said. "The Kensington Expressway project represents a historic opportunity to right a wrong of the past by reuniting communities, creating jobs, and igniting economic growth throughout the region — helping build a brighter future for East Buffalo."
Today's announcement builds on Governor Hochul's commitment to strengthening East Buffalo in the wake of last month's white supremacist terror attack at Tops Supermarket. On June 18, the Governor visited East Buffalo to announce $50 million in targeted investments as part of the state's ongoing efforts to address the immediate needs of East Buffalo, which she called "a down payment on the much larger amount of work that lies ahead."
Constructed during the 1950s and 1960s, the Kensington Expressway replaced what had been a grand, tree-lined boulevard — the historic Humboldt Parkway designed by Frederick Law Olmsted — with a below-grade highway that severed the connection between the surrounding neighborhoods. With up to $1 billion set aside by Governor Hochul for this transformational project in East Buffalo, the neighborhood was wrongly divided by the Kensington Expressway's original construction, will once again be reunited.
As part of the ongoing public engagement process, a new website has been launched to provide information on the Kensington Expressway project options. The website will go live ahead of two public scoping sessions taking place on June 30 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Buffalo Museum of Science. The scoping sessions will provide community members with an opportunity to learn about the various options being considered for the project, including two options NYSDOT believes best represent the foundation for the restoration of an at-grade highway that would restore the original streetscape of the Olmstead-designed Humboldt Parkway.
Community input received at these sessions and other public involvement opportunities to be held during the environmental review will help inform NYSDOT's decision-making process. The Department will consider the comments received at the scoping sessions and during the subsequent 30-day scoping comment period and respond to substantive comments in the Project Scoping Report to be completed later this summer. Working in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration, the New York State Department of Transportation's is advancing the environmental review process for this project through an environmental assessment that will build on years of public outreach by NYSDOT and conversations with local leaders how to best right the wrongs of the past for neighborhoods in East Buffalo.
NYSDOT is currently assessing opportunities to create new open public spaces, enhance bicycle and pedestrian safety, and address noise and air pollution as part of the environmental process. The Department is also assessing enhancements to the local roadways to facilitate safe vehicle operations within reconnected neighborhoods. Project boundaries include the eastern limit of East Ferry Street and western limit at Best Street. The Kensington Expressway carries about 80,000 cars per day.
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