It's not too late for the Department of Transportation (DOT) to do the right thing when it comes to the roadways along the Outer Harbor. This morning, Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper held a press conference to show reporters what a terrible mistake our city is about to make. From where we were standing we could almost see Lake Erie... had the stretch of dirt in the background been removed, the waterfront would be connected once again. Instead, the DOT is about to build a partially elevated roadway that even political officials have admitted is not the best plan. But the money to build the best plan was not available when officials needed it. So proponents for the at-grade boulevard have come up with a solution.
If Route 5 is downgraded to a four lane boulevard, there would be an additional 77 acres of land freed up that the DOT could sell. That money ($500,000 an acre) would make up the cost difference and the best plan could be back on the table. Plus, the land would be back on the tax rolls. This is such an obvious mistake that all officials should be coming back to the table to re-examine the issue. The Scajaquada Expressway is scheduled to be scaled down to a four-lane boulevard - a road system that has much higher traffic patterns than Route 5. And if you look at the current configuration of the Route 5 roadway while construction in taking place you will see that there are four lanes there right now and no traffic problems. For such a short stretch of land, we are about to miss out on a great opportunity.
Riverkeeper's plan could be implemented right away and would have no delay on the construction timetable. The First Phase of the Route 5 construction has already brought much of the roadway down to at-grade level. It is now easy to see the plan as it should have been all along. This is a chance in a lifetime and the urgency cannot be stressed enough. The current elevation is a mere 11'... the DOT plan is to raise that level up to 23'. For such a short distance, the commuting times would be barely noticed if a boulevard was approved. Regardless, we must ask ourselves who our waterfront is for... cars and trucks or people?
Today Riverkeeper will be filing motions in the summary judgment. "People don't understand how close we are," Julie O'Neill (Riverkeeper) said. "The elevation is halfway down and the project is halfway to completion. Instead of rebuilding the barrier, the DOT should be taking the rest of it down."