BUFFALO, N.Y. — New York Governor Kathy Hochul was in Buffalo Friday to announce that the Federal Highway Administration has given the green light for the Kensington Expressway project to move forward.
The Federal Highway Administration issued their "Finding of No Significant Impact, which ends the formal environmental assessment process and can now clear the way for the New York State DOT to move on to the final design states of the project.
“From the very beginning, the Kensington Expressway Project has been a community-driven effort to restore the greenspace and quality of life wrongfully taken from East Buffalo with the highway’s initial construction,” Governor Hochul said. “Today's decision by the Federal Highway Administration allows us to move ahead on this transformational project to right the wrongs of the past and start construction later this year. But we are not done yet and will continue to rely on the project’s most important architects – local community members – to share their vision and partner with us as we study opportunities to reconnect the East Buffalo community in a way that makes residents proud.”
The hope of the Kensington Expressway Project is to reconnect the neighborhoods in East Buffalo that were divided by when the Kensington Expressway was put in place.
Several community meetings have been held already, and the governor said the NYS DOT will continue to "engage with community members and listen to their concerns."
New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said, "The stars are aligned for this project and there will never be a better opportunity to start transforming the landscape of East Buffalo than at this very moment. This is a major milestone for a game-changing project – one that would not have been possible without continued input and support received from committed local residents and stakeholders in East Buffalo. The construction of the original Kensington Expressway carved a deep wound in the fabric of East Buffalo and now the healing process can officially begin.”
The governor also announced a new Kensington Outreach Center, located at 630 Humboldt Parkway, is now officially open in East Buffalo for the public to remain informed about the project as it goes from the planning phase to the construction phase. Hours of operation are from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.
The project, which is expected to cost $1 billion, could begin later this year.