Governor Hochul Announces Early 2024 Completion of Environmental Assessment for Kensington Expressway Project

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that an environmental assessment for the Kensington Expressway project is underway and will be completed in early 2024, opening the door for an official groundbreaking by the end of that year. A new website is also being launched in advance of two public scoping meetings being held at the Buffalo Museum of Science on June 30.

"With East Buffalo and all New Yorkers still reeling from the horrific terrorist attack that took place at Tops Supermarket last month, I am laser-focused on uplifting this community now and into the future," Governor Hochul said. "The Kensington Expressway project represents a historic opportunity to right a wrong of the past by reuniting communities, creating jobs, and igniting economic growth throughout the region — helping build a brighter future for East Buffalo."

Today's announcement builds on Governor Hochul's commitment to strengthening East Buffalo in the wake of last month's white supremacist terror attack at Tops Supermarket. On June 18, the Governor visited East Buffalo to announce $50 million in targeted investments as part of the state's ongoing efforts to address the immediate needs of East Buffalo, which she called "a down payment on the much larger amount of work that lies ahead."

Constructed during the 1950s and 1960s, the Kensington Expressway replaced what had been a grand, tree-lined boulevard — the historic Humboldt Parkway designed by Frederick Law Olmsted — with a below-grade highway that severed the connection between the surrounding neighborhoods. With up to $1 billion set aside by Governor Hochul for this transformational project in East Buffalo, the neighborhood was wrongly divided by the Kensington Expressway's original construction, will once again be reunited.

As part of the ongoing public engagement process, a new website has been launched to provide information on the Kensington Expressway project options. The website will go live ahead of two public scoping sessions taking place on June 30 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Buffalo Museum of Science. The scoping sessions will provide community members with an opportunity to learn about the various options being considered for the project, including two options NYSDOT believes best represent the foundation for the restoration of an at-grade highway that would restore the original streetscape of the Olmstead-designed Humboldt Parkway.

Community input received at these sessions and other public involvement opportunities to be held during the environmental review will help inform NYSDOT's decision-making process. The Department will consider the comments received at the scoping sessions and during the subsequent 30-day scoping comment period and respond to substantive comments in the Project Scoping Report to be completed later this summer. Working in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration, the New York State Department of Transportation's is advancing the environmental review process for this project through an environmental assessment that will build on years of public outreach by NYSDOT and conversations with local leaders how to best right the wrongs of the past for neighborhoods in East Buffalo.

NYSDOT is currently assessing opportunities to create new open public spaces, enhance bicycle and pedestrian safety, and address noise and air pollution as part of the environmental process. The Department is also assessing enhancements to the local roadways to facilitate safe vehicle operations within reconnected neighborhoods. Project boundaries include the eastern limit of East Ferry Street and western limit at Best Street. The Kensington Expressway carries about 80,000 cars per day.

New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said, "Governor Hochul's commitment to this bold and transformative project to reconnect and uplift East Buffalo is unmatched. As we proceed with this environmental process, I urge residents of East Buffalo to make full use of the new website and informational sessions and continue giving us their feedback, so we can restore the beauty of the former Humboldt Parkway and physically unite the neighborhood."

Governor Hochul's historic $32.8 billion five-year Department of Transportation capital plan that was adopted as part of the state's Fiscal Year 2023 Budget includes up to $1 billion to reconnect the east-west neighborhoods across the depressed section of the Kensington Expressway corridor in East Buffalo and re-establish the green space originally provided by Humboldt Parkway, without compromising the long-term capacity of the important regional transportation link provided by the Expressway.

In total, the Department of Transportation's capital plan includes nearly $3 billion for infrastructure projects that promote equity, connectivity and multi-modal transportation opportunities for communities all across New York State. In addition to the Kensington Expressway project in East Buffalo, these projects include the reconstruction of the Bruckner-Sheridan Interchange at Hunts Point in the Bronx, converting the existing Inner Loop Freeway into a community boulevard in Rochester, construction of the I-81 community grid in Syracuse, and covering portions of the Cross-Bronx Expressway in the Bronx.

Senator Charles E. Schumer said, "Buffalo, get ready because New York and the feds are hitting the gas on the revitalization of the Kensington Expressway to reconnect communities and rectify years of underinvestment, with work now slated to begin as soon as 2024! It is essential that the environmental assessment be comprehensive and address all the community's concerns to ensure the success of this project, and I will be pushing the feds to stay on track so Western New York can remain in the fast lane for this transportation transformation. Once this happens, the jobs can start flowing and so can the federal funds that I fought hard to secure in the bipartisan Infrastructure Law with places like Kensington and WNY in mind to help pave the way for a bright more equitable future for all of Buffalo."

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said, "I applaud Governor Hochul and her administration for starting and expediting the necessary environmental assessment to reimagine the Kensington Expressway. This is the first step to righting this historic injustice and addressing the needs of East Buffalo. I am dedicated to working with Governor Hochul to continue investing into the neighborhoods that need it most."

Representative Brian Higgins said, "The construction of the Kensington Expressway had a detrimental impact on East Buffalo, dividing neighborhoods that were meant to be connected by the Olmsted parkway system. Governor Hochul's leadership will allow us to right this historic wrong. The environmental assessment and the public engagement process, are a significant step forward toward advancing a plan that reunites neighborhoods and addresses the needs of our community."

State Senator Sean Ryan said, "The next few years will see significant progress for the City of Buffalo. After decades of persistent damage to the communities divided by the Kensington and Scajaquada Expressways, we are finally taking action to undo what has scarred our landscape and destroyed the vision of Frederick Law Olmsted. I thank Governor Hochul for her continued commitment to Buffalo and Western New York, and I look forward to future milestones in this project."

State Senate Transportation Chair Tim Kennedy said, "When Assembly Majority Leader Peoples-Stokes, Congressman Higgins, Buffalo Mayor Brown and I joined members of ROCC to call for a fast-tracked environmental study of the Kensington Expressway, Governor Kathy Hochul listened. Today, she and the DOT are delivering on that promise to prioritize this transformational project that will correct injustices that have divided our community for decades. By relying on community feedback to drive this plan forward, and setting a goal for shovels in the ground, we're one step closer to restoring the quality of life in the surrounding neighborhoods."

Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes said, "Redesigning and covering Route 33 is a unique opportunity to address the generational harm done by the Kensington Expressway, when it tore into the Martin Luther King and Hamlin Park neighborhoods. These expressways have long severed and disrupted our communities and recreational spaces. Restoring these communities is a matter of racial justice, quality of life, environmental health, and community development. Prioritizing investments in the redesign of Route 33 will significantly help to correct these injustices and would be a significant step towards reunifying neighborhoods in our city and healing decades-old wounds."

Mayor Byron W. Brown said, "I thank Governor Hochul and the NY State Department of Transportation for accelerating the process to move the Kensington Expressway redesign forward. This project will allow the City of Buffalo to leverage federal, state, and local resources to improve housing and small business development in Buffalo's Black community."

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said, "This commitment of funding and resources by Governor Hochul will continue the process to restore the parkway and reconnect the community. This is a much-needed project that will eventually correct a mistake from the past that split an entire neighborhood in half. The restoration of a scenic parkway will help serve as the basis for future residential and commercial development."