Federal grant to fund Buffalo Rapid Transit bus line

The 11.5-mile route will feature dedicated bus lanes, an estimated 13 stations with waiting areas, and improved signaling and safety features for cyclists and pedestrians. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand, Democrats of New York, are scheduled to announce the plan on Monday, but The Buffalo News obtained an advance copy of the announcement Sunday.

“Bailey Avenue is the backbone of the East Side and one of Buffalo’s busiest corridors, but ask anyone who’s been stuck behind an NFTA bus trying to get to work. It’s one of the most frustrating traffic jams. “There are dozens of crashes each year,” Schumer said. “This $100 million investment in the new Bailey Avenue bus rapid transit line will reduce congestion and collisions.” “We can turn accidents into a smoother commute for Buffalo residents.”

Gillibrand said Buffalo residents can expect big changes thanks to this project.

“Soon, thousands of East Buffalo residents will have faster, cheaper and safer access to their destinations, making Buffalo more just and a better place to live,” she said.

Bailey Avenue has long been considered one of the city’s major and most troublesome north-south corridors. According to the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, approximately 2,600 commuters use the Bailey Avenue Metro bus every weekday.

But buses now compete for road space on the city’s wide thoroughfares, which are often clogged with other vehicular traffic. As a result, the NFTA study found that there have been 2,500 crashes along the Bailey in the past five years.

Schumer said the bus rapid transit project and related improvements should make the line safer for all types of commuters.

“From students on UB’s South Campus to veterans who use this bus route to get to the VA on Bailey Avenue, this funding will reduce commuting, make connectivity more seamless, and improve the lives of Buffalo residents. It will improve the quality of

State transportation planners and prominent figures like Brian Higgins, a longtime Buffalo Democrat who recently resigned from Congress, have long advocated for changes that could improve traffic flow along Bailey Avenue. I’ve been doing it.

State Sen. Tim Kennedy, who chairs the transportation committee, secured design funding for the bus project in the state budget last year.

“This major infusion of federal funding will help transform one of Buffalo’s most congested and dangerous streets and create a better Bailey Street for everyone who uses it,” Kennedy said. Ta.

Federal funding for the Bailey Avenue project will come from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Neighborhood Access and Equity Program, which was funded under the Clean Energy and Health Care Act, which then-Democratic Congress called the Inflation Control Act. offered. The bill, passed in 2022 at Schumer’s request, would provide funding for projects that improve transportation safety and access in economically disadvantaged or underserved communities. Includes Neighborhood Access and Equity Programs aimed at

More than $3 billion in federal funds will be allocated to the program. Major renovations to Interstate 81 in Syracuse will also be funded under the program, Schumer’s office said.

“I created this program to reconnect our communities with affordable transportation. Making long-suffering safety and infrastructure upgrades in Buffalo will lay the foundation for a better future. It’s a way to build,” Schumer said.

Gillibrand also pushed for the creation of a program similar to the Community Reconnection Program created under the bipartisan Infrastructure Act of 2021. The measure would give the city his $55 million to rebuild the Kensington Expressway.

Neither Schumer nor Gillibrand have announced a timeline for the Bailey Avenue bus project.

“This is a long-awaited investment in Buffalo’s Eastside, and I’m proud to have advocated so hard to make it happen,” Gillibrand said.