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I would say the bridge should be a priority for the Buffalo economy. As Buffalo has always been a middle ground for transportation (ie, canals, railroads, ports), the bridges that allow trade and commuting to and from Canada may be one of the only advantages Buffalo still has as a location.
This is a very nice idea. I sincerely thank you for your well wishes. However, Buffalo does not need a new bridge to improve international transportation. We know this because the Peace Bridge currently has three functioning lanes--only one less than either the QEW or the 190.
No, the problem is what to do with the trucks once they get across the bridge. The increased security precautions on the border are what is causing the backups over the bridge. Therefore, to solve the transportation quagmire that is the current Peace Bridge, all we need is a new, larger truck plaza. A place for those idling trucks to get off the bridge.
Our policymakers know this. The "signature" bridge is the carrot being dangled in front of our face, while the eminent domain destruction of 100 homes on the west side is the stick that nobody's talking about. The constant traffic standstill on the bridge has been the source of major health problems in this area. No problem, says the Peace Bridge Authority, we'll just level those people's homes for a huge new truck plaza!
It's hard to think positively about the "signature" bridge when you look at it this way. I know it's difficult for someone from outside of Buffalo to grasp the total ****up that this situation is--that goes for you and for Gov. Patterson.
There was a separate plan (by a private company, not the pseudo-state apparatus that is the PBA) to build a new bridge and a new truck plaza on a huge piece of land further north on the Niagara River. The Peace Bridge would then be limited to auto traffic (solving air quality concerns) and the trucks would have somewhere different to idle on the US side, while still maintaining their access to I-190.
Of course, this proposal was nuked and will never be spoken of again by our lawmakers, who have already made their decision. And it's an easy sell, right? Who doesn't want a "signature bridge"?
This is a very nice idea. I sincerely thank you for your well wishes. However, Buffalo does not need a new bridge to improve international transportation. We know this because the Peace Bridge currently has three functioning lanes--only one less than either the QEW or the 190.
No, the problem is what to do with the trucks once they get across the bridge. The increased security precautions on the border are what is causing the backups over the bridge. Therefore, to solve the transportation quagmire that is the current Peace Bridge, all we need is a new, larger truck plaza. A place for those idling trucks to get off the bridge.
Our policymakers know this. The "signature" bridge is the carrot being dangled in front of our face, while the eminent domain destruction of 100 homes on the west side is the stick that nobody's talking about. The constant traffic standstill on the bridge has been the source of major health problems in this area. No problem, says the Peace Bridge Authority, we'll just level those people's homes for a huge new truck plaza!
It's hard to think positively about the "signature" bridge when you look at it this way. I know it's difficult for someone from outside of Buffalo to grasp the total ****up that this situation is--that goes for you and for Gov. Patterson.
There was a separate plan (by a private company, not the pseudo-state apparatus that is the PBA) to build a new bridge and a new truck plaza on a huge piece of land further north on the Niagara River. The Peace Bridge would then be limited to auto traffic (solving air quality concerns) and the trucks would have somewhere different to idle on the US side, while still maintaining their access to I-190.
Of course, this proposal was nuked and will never be spoken of again by our lawmakers, who have already made their decision. And it's an easy sell, right? Who doesn't want a "signature bridge"?
This is a very nice idea. I sincerely thank you for your well wishes. However, Buffalo does not need a new bridge to improve international transportation. We know this because the Peace Bridge currently has three functioning lanes--only one less than either the QEW or the 190.
No, the problem is what to do with the trucks once they get across the bridge. The increased security precautions on the border are what is causing the backups over the bridge. Therefore, to solve the transportation quagmire that is the current Peace Bridge, all we need is a new, larger truck plaza. A place for those idling trucks to get off the bridge.
Our policymakers know this. The "signature" bridge is the carrot being dangled in front of our face, while the eminent domain destruction of 100 homes on the west side is the stick that nobody's talking about. The constant traffic standstill on the bridge has been the source of major health problems in this area. No problem, says the Peace Bridge Authority, we'll just level those people's homes for a huge new truck plaza!
It's hard to think positively about the "signature" bridge when you look at it this way. I know it's difficult for someone from outside of Buffalo to grasp the total ****up that this situation is--that goes for you and for Gov. Patterson.
There was a separate plan (by a private company, not the pseudo-state apparatus that is the PBA) to build a new bridge and a new truck plaza on a huge piece of land further north on the Niagara River. The Peace Bridge would then be limited to auto traffic (solving air quality concerns) and the trucks would have somewhere different to idle on the US side, while still maintaining their access to I-190.
Of course, this proposal was nuked and will never be spoken of again by our lawmakers, who have already made their decision. And it's an easy sell, right? Who doesn't want a "signature bridge"?
Very well put. As far as the demolition of the homes, what is the condition of the neighborhood(s)? Specifically crime levels, how well the homes have been maintained over the years and the occupancy.
I would not want my home torn down. But in some neighborhoods there are numbers of mixed homes in very poor condition. What the city does with these homes, and if the city were to reconstruct homes elsewhere in the city could play a factor.
Very well put. As far as the demolition of the homes, what is the condition of the neighborhood(s)? Specifically crime levels, how well the homes have been maintained over the years and the occupancy.
I would not want my home torn down. But in some neighborhoods there are numbers of mixed homes in very poor condition.
This is one that's worth saving. It's one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city--many beautiful homes located there. The condition of the neighborhood is surprisingly good, considering that this thing has been hanging over its head for about 20 years now. There's no reason to improve your house when it could be knocked down at any moment.
Your best bet is to get on Google street view and look up and down Columbus Pkwy. What you'll find is a beautiful place. Many of the homes here were owner-occupied up until the last year or so. Over the summer, I saw moving trucks coming and going every week. There's no reason to stay now.
I neglected to mention that the Peace Bridge Authority has bought up as many homes in the area as it could for the last few decades. The properties owned by the PBA are one of the main sources of blight in the neighborhood.
We don't have an "everyblock" site for crime stats like most cities, so I can't give you that kind of info. However I will say I always felt reasonably safe there, even though it's surrounded by problematic areas. It's in a part of the West Side (area between Niagara St and Allentown, Porter Ave corridor, D'Youville College area) that's got nowhere to go but up. The property values (100k to 200k, give or take) are pretty high for Buffalo, and unusually high for the West Side.
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What the city does with these homes,
We have a lot of experience with this. Most go to the landfill. If we're lucky an organization called Buffalo ReUse will salvage some bits and pieces.
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and if the city were to reconstruct homes elsewhere in the city could play a factor.
This is one that's worth saving. It's one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city--many beautiful homes located there. The condition of the neighborhood is surprisingly good, considering that this thing has been hanging over its head for about 20 years now. There's no reason to improve your house when it could be knocked down at any moment.
Your best bet is to get on Google street view and look up and down Columbus Pkwy. What you'll find is a beautiful place. Many of the homes here were owner-occupied up until the last year or so. Over the summer, I saw moving trucks coming and going every week. There's no reason to stay now.
I neglected to mention that the Peace Bridge Authority has bought up as many homes in the area as it could for the last few decades. The properties owned by the PBA are one of the main sources of blight in the neighborhood.
We don't have an "everyblock" site for crime stats like most cities, so I can't give you that kind of info. However I will say I always felt reasonably safe there, even though it's surrounded by problematic areas. It's in a part of the West Side (area between Niagara St and Allentown, Porter Ave corridor, D'Youville College area) that's got nowhere to go but up. The property values (100k to 200k, give or take) are pretty high for Buffalo, and unusually high for the West Side.
We have a lot of experience with this. Most go to the landfill. If we're lucky an organization called Buffalo ReUse will salvage some bits and pieces.
Not a chance of that.
Thank you for your input as I am not for uprooting permanent homes.
Fix the bridges that need fixing first. We don't need a signature bridge. The roadway system needs it more than we need another bridge.
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