10/10/09: Rep. Higgins & NYS DOT Make Smooth Move for Route 5 Outer Harbor Development

A quiet walk along the waterfront at Buffalo’s outer harbor can be hectic if you have to fight traffic and construction, but that’s about to change in a year according to transportation leaders.
“We’re planning for the next. So that the momentum is seamless and it’s a culmination of a fundamental redevelopment of the Buffalo waterfront,” said Rep. Brian Higgins. Congressman Higgins and transportation officials announced a new traffic pattern coming to Route 5 near Fuhrmann Boulevard. It’s part of the final stretch of the construction marathon to improve traffic along the waterfront. The shift follows a year of construction on the new three mile parkway running along the outer harbor. The $50 million project improved the drive for commuters along route five heading to and from the South Towns.
“If you look at some of the bridges and the interchanges they’ve done the best that they can possibly do to blend that commuter route for all of the people traveling from the South Towns,” said Gary Hill with the Union Concrete and Construction President.
“We needed this project for the infrastructure. All of the big ideas of the past failed because of the lack of infrastructure. This is the best infrastructure that you can add at this point in the development of the waterfront,” said David Culligan with the Landscape Design Panel.
Once the project is complete, officials say the new traffic changes will offer seven public access overlooks and driver-friendly pathways to the boardwalks along the outer harbor. Officials say they hope the improved easy access to the harbor front will bring more tourism to the marina and Tift Nature Preserve.
“It’s really great to get to Tift at a direct route. And that will really highlight this wonderful resource of the Buffalo region,” said Karen Wallace and Tift Nature Preserve.
“The past 36 months has represented more progress than the last 60 years the next 36 months is going to be a period of tremendous progress,” said Congressman Higgins.The 27th District representative says progress has been made over the past three years on both the inner and outer harbor. He adds there are more than 300 people currently working on the project, which adds to an immediate as well as sustained economic impact here in Western New York. The traffic pattern change is expected to be wrapped up by October 2010.