Governor Kathy Hochul today announced a major milestone in the transformative Kensington Expressway Project, which will reconnect neighborhoods within East Buffalo that have been divided for generations while providing much-needed greenspace and a new vibrancy to the entire community. The Federal Highway Administration has issued a “Finding of No Significant Impact,” a key development that signals the end of the formal environmental assessment process and clears the way for the New York State Department of Transportation to advance to the final design stages and begin construction by the fall of 2024. Additionally, at the direction of Governor Hochul, the State Department of Transportation will commence a study this year on additional potential enhancements to further reconnect the community, all the way up to the Scajaquada Expressway and Delaware Park, including a new vision for a reimagined Humboldt Parkway. Building on the hundreds of public engagements ahead of this project, the State Department of Transportation will continue to engage with community members and listen to their concerns to ensure the best outcome for the corridor and the residents who call it home.
“From the very beginning, the Kensington Expressway Project has been a community-driven effort to restore the greenspace and quality of life wrongfully taken from East Buffalo with the highway’s initial construction,” Governor Hochul said. “Today’s decision by the Federal Highway Administration allows us to move ahead on this transformational project to right the wrongs of the past and start construction later this year. But we are not done yet and will continue to rely on the project’s most important architects – local community members – to share their vision and partner with us as we study opportunities to reconnect the East Buffalo community in a way that makes residents proud.”
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) issuance of a “Finding of No Significant Impact” comes after the State Department of Transportation undertook a detailed Environmental Assessment that extensively studied the social, economic, and environmental effects of the project; and outlined measures to mitigate any adverse effects. The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) also conducted extensive public outreach on the Kensington Project, attending more than 70 meetings or public events in the affected communities, and remains committed to engaging the public throughout the final design and construction of the project.
A new Kensington Outreach Center, located at 630 Humboldt Parkway, is now officially open in East Buffalo to further opportunities for public engagement as the project moves from the planning phase to the construction phase. Its hours of operation are from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Issuance of the “Finding of No Significant Impact,” or FONSI, by the FHWA concludes the federal environmental assessment review.
Proposed project highlights include:
- Replacement of the below-grade expressway with a 4,150-foot-long, six-lane tunnel between Dodge Street and Sidney Street
- Creation of a 90-foot-wide, tree-lined median on top of the tunnel, providing approximately 11 acres of new, publicly accessible greenspace
- Reconstruction of Humboldt Parkway while implementing “Complete Street” roadway design features
- Rehabilitation of 9 miles of local streets, including resurfacing and replacement of sidewalks, curbs, driveway aprons, lighting, signals and new tree plantings as needed
- Replacement of Best Street Bridge and creation of a roundabout at the Best Street interchange
