Check this out! Future bike lanes with a four foot buffer on Niagara Street!

Happy to report that construction is steaming ahead despite the Covid crisis. General contractor, CATCO, submitted the required safety plan and we’re seeing remarkable progress. They are working on the southern section (Busti to Albany) of Phase 3 and then will jump to Forest Avenue and work south while water line issues are getting resolved in the middle section.

CATCO is working mightily to complete this section of the project (Busti Ave to Forest Ave) by the end of 2020. Kudos to CATCO, Watts Engineering, Buffalo Sewer Authority and City of Buffalo for keeping this ambitious project going.

No word, yet, on status of Phase 4a which goes north of Niagara Street but we’ll update when we find out!

We’ve been following the progress of Greater Buffalo Niagara Regional Transportation Council (GBNRTC) plans since it was announced by NY State that they would be the lead agency for the planning process. We hoped to have a presentation by Hal Morse, ED of GBNRTC, at our April VN meeting. Our meeting, however, was scotched due to you-know-what.

We learned that it will be an 18 month process aimed at a project that “will strengthen … community assets to create a safe, healthy and prosperous city and region for all needs.” From what we understand, this will be for the entire length of Rte. 198 and the section of Rte. 33 from 198 to downtown Buffalo.

GBNRTC is in the initial phase of the process, identifying and engaging stakeholders, community leaders, officials and experts. Multimodal assets will be identified, objectives and performance metrics will be documented. GBNRTC plans to engage a panel of national experts for counsel on potential options. Then this is where it gets interesting:

Based on all the input, GBNRTC will “assemble specific transportation access actions to achieve the stated objectives.”

“These will include options in all modes and specific to the study area as well as potential alterations outside the corridor.

Testing of the proposed set of actions in transportation simulation models..

Final set of improvement options will be subsequently prepared.”

Vision Niagara is actively working with Scajaquada Corridor Coalition to develop designs on how we can reconnect our communities and restore historic landscapes, as well as make way for development opportunities which have been strangled by highways. Our goal is to present this vision to GBNRTC, other stakeholders and the community at large in the near future. Stay tuned!

Quotes are from GBNRTC document Region Central – Approach to Project Workscope for Scajaquada Community Forward Study.

Buffalo Sewer Authority will give Vision Niagara participants a tour of their treatment plant on Thursday, August 8th at 4:00 pm. Count on a two hour fascinating session where you will learn about what happens to sewage and overflow, as well as the importance of our infrastructure, green and otherwise.

Send an email to info@visionniagara.org before Wednesday, August 7th, if you would like to secure one of the limited spaces for this tour. We will send you instructions where to meet.

We were delighted to announce at our June Vision Niagara meeting that a new mural will enhance our Niagara Street Corridor. Artist Nicole Cherry designed this bicycle themed image for the south side of 1330 Niagara Street. And it fits so well because the next tenant will be Campus WheelWorks, when renovations are complete.

The Albright-Knox Art Gallery has teamed up with the artist and owner, Buffalo Spokes LLC, as part of their public art initiative. The surface was just primed – the artwork should be completed by the end of July.

We at Vision Niagara have a goal to turn the adjacent lot into a park. What a perfect backdrop this will be! Hearty thanks to Nicole Cherry, AKAG and Buffalo Spokes!!

Wednesday, May 1st @ 5:00 pm @Resurgence Brewery – side room next to the chalkboard.

Tom Duk and Julie Fetzer, City of Buffalo Department of Public Works – update about the long-anticipated, now underway complete street project for Niagara Street.

Jeff Empric, Bootleg Bucha– business and rehab progress in a big section of the corridor of Upper Rock (the middle section of Niagara Street).

Howard Rich from Rich Products – what’s happening @ Rich’s.

helping out at the clean up

Join us on May 11 from 10am to noon! We’ll be shining up beautiful Broderick Park including spreading mulch and a bit of weeding. Cuz we love this park so much and want it to look its best! Refreshments and free t-shirts for our volunteers!

Vision Niagara is excited to host Jane’s Walk Buffalo 2019 to be held on the first weekend of May. Look for specifics on the walks on our Special Events page.

This might not look like much, but it’s a real start on our long awaited project for Niagara Street. Pictured here is one bike lane on the south side of One Robert Rich Way, base of West Ferry Street into Broderick Park. Clear sailing for our bicyclists heading into the park in the future!

Yes, it’s a late start for 2018. The project was tied up in Albany for far too long so here is the scope for this year:

• Niagara Street from Hampshire Street to the Bridge over Scajaquada Creek –
• Busti Avenue from Columbus Parkway to Niagara Street –
• Robert Rich Way from the Lift Bridge to Niagara Street

The work will consist of milling the pavement; hot mix asphalt concrete inlay; PCC pavement; spot replacements of the sidewalk and curb/underdrain; new curb ramps; curb extensions at all signalized intersections; improvements to the drainage system; green infrastructure treatments; a new street lighting system; a protected bicycle lane (cycle track); replacement of existing traffic control signals; a new traffic control signal; signs and pavement markings; landscaping/tree plantings and street amenities; site restoration and other incidental work.

Cannon Design featured a forum about Niagara Street’s future at Rich Products beautiful atrium last month. Panelists included Paul Ciminelli, CEO of Ciminelli Real Estate Corp., Dr. Lorrie Clemo, President of D’Youville College, Barbara Rowe, Board President of Vision Niagara and Howard Rich, VP @ Rich Products. Michael Tunkey, Cannon Design moderated. (Summarized here).

This forum is part of Cannon’s Buffalo Urban Futures Forum.

A unique feature of this event was an interactive map where attendees had the opportunity to plug in what they would like to see on the corridor. And the map isn’t finished! If your organization will be having a meeting this summer, you could include this activity and have it recorded for posterity! Contact Michael Tunkey if you are interested!

Work will begin this summer on improvements to the Jesse Kregal Pathway. John Bidell, city engineer with Buffalo’s Department of Public Works, was very kind to walk the path with two of our board members to describe the changes to come. Also joining us, were Phil Galbo and Tom Buckley from Watts Engineering.

The illustration above shows before and after of the western head of the trail. Note, however, the blue surface will not be part of the changes.

We will see lighting installed at a few locations. The chain link fencing that is overgrown with weeds will be replaced with a cable fence which will make maintenance efforts easier. See current status in photos below.

Cable fencing will eliminate some of this sort of vandalism – a determined person can just crawl through!

Other changes include a new access road, again to ease maintenance loads but also will be a new way for folks to get to the path.

Changes will allow pedestrians and bicyclists to navigate easily around the Army Corps of Engineers which now closes off part of the path on weekends. New signage will ease the confusion of navigation. It should be clear where folks can choose between the new bike lanes on Niagara Street and the path.

And this lovely but sad historical marker will be refurbished!

We’ll all have to be patient! The path will be closed while the work is going on – if all goes well, we’ll have a sparkly Jesse Kregal Pathway to enjoy late summer or early fall! Jesse would have been so pleased!

A big thanks to Andy Rabb, City of Buffalo Deputy Commissioner Parks and Recreation, for spearheading this project!