Dispersing traffic from the Kensington Expressway would clog city streets, increase air pollution and endanger pedestrians and bicyclists, state Department of Transportation representatives told The Buffalo News’ Editorial Board this week.
DOT Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez offered unwavering support for the project to cover a 3/4-mile tunnel on a portion of Route 33 on the East Side, with a cover to grow trees and grass in an attempt to reconstruct a portion of the parkway, despite mounting criticism of the project and calls for an agency other than her department to lead the planning process.
Mounting voices against the project as now planned are calling for a more comprehensive study to consider other options and provide additional information before a final decision is made.
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s commitment to a nearly $1 billion project in January 2022, and the Biden administration’s “Reconnecting Communities” initiative – which provided a $55 billion grant for the project in April – are making it possible to reconnect Buffalo neighborhoods separated when the expressway destroyed the parkway in the 1950s and ‘60s, Dominguez said during a 40-minute meeting Monday with The News.
“We have an alignment of factors, and the stars are…
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