Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan has unveiled a $94 million capital budget proposal for 2027 that would fund road work, roof work, and two bridge projects across the city. The plan, released Monday, directs more than $10 million toward repairing the Louisiana Street bridge, a span that has been plagued by potholes, along with $2.2 million to enhance the West Ferry lift bridge.
According to Spectrum News, the proposal also sets aside $22.5 million for major engineering improvements throughout Buffalo and $9 million for new roofs at eight city buildings. Ryan said the plan is about getting ahead of problems before they become emergencies. “We can keep reacting to problems after they happen, or we can invest in our infrastructure and take care of the things residents depend on before they fail,” he said, according to the outlet.
Ryan continued in the same statement, saying the capital plan “is a commitment to doing things the responsible way. It fixes the basics, rebuilds our roads and infrastructure, and reinvests in the community centers, pools, and other third spaces that hold our neighborhoods together.” The roof money, according to a separate account from Buffalo Toronto Public Media, would mostly go toward community centers, ice rinks, and Shea’s Performing Arts Center.
How the $94 Million Would Be Financed
Per Buffalo Toronto Public Media’s reporting, the overall $94 million package breaks down into $59.1 million in bonding and $34.9 million in emergency bonding. That financing structure would need to clear the Common Council, which can review and amend the proposal before a final vote that, per the same outlet, typically happens by the end of November…