The NYSDOT has taken its ball, and gone home. By ball, we’re talking about the $100 million allocated for the reconstruction of the Scajaquada Expressway (198) – from a highway to a boulevard. Yes, GObike Buffalo has announced that the NYSDOT has done the unthinkable… unless you know anything about how the organization operates.
“For the last decade the Scajaquada project has had a dedicated $100 million attached to the project,” said Executive Director of GObike Buffalo, Justin Booth, who is also vice chair of the Scajaquada Corridor Coalition (SCC). “I recently noticed that the Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) is now designated an ‘illustrative project,” – it’s still programmed, but the funding is no longer there. We all know that the community did not like the DOT’s project, and we were waiting for news on the environmental impact process. It looks like, since they didn’t get their project that was designed for vehicles, not communities, they’re walking away. This is very frustrating, as we’ve spent decades fighting for a better project. And now the SCC is getting zero response from the DOT… no communication whatsoever. Why don’t they want to work on a project that consensus has built over many years? We have a great design in place. The City of Buffalo is bound to lose $100 million. The Mayor of Syracuse, Ben Walsh ran on a platform to remove the I-81 (see here). I think that all of the mayoral candidates should weigh in on this. Why are these decisions being made in Albany and not in Buffalo? Shouldn’t we be dictating our own fate?”
From GObike Buffalo:…