Smaller Peace Bridge Footprint Proposed

NO. The primary border crossing should not be in the City of Buffalo. When are we going to start looking at our regional transportation system needs as a whole. Expanding the peace bridge here dooms the west side waterfront to another half century of being completely cut off by a highway.

In this day and age that is unacceptable. When are infrastructure projects going to be focused on the people that live here, not the people who drive their cars through. This needs to stop!

And here we go again. I'm not buying the need for demolishing a city nieghborhood for another bridge when thier is plenty of open space on the Ontario side for the extra truck traffic and plaza.

agree with both who commented before me.

time for one bridge authority to manage all of the crossings on the niagara river.

Sounds promising... where is the new site plan?

They're offering a compromise and yet, people are still sticking their fingers in their ears and screaming because they don't want to hear it. I think the fact that they're looking at a plaza that is less intrusive in the neighborhood surrounding the bridge means that they're listening and still open to discussion and people should really consider constructive dialog instead of stamping their feet and shooting down every proposal. It's that type of attitude that really stops progress in this area.

Could someone give more info about what "pre-screening" entails and how it saves so much room on the US side?

I think this is great news! But also makes me wonder why these options were not made available earlier in the process... but let's not go there.

Still unacceptable,

If the planners and people pushing the plaza have magically found the ability to chop 12 acres off of the proposed 38 acre plaza, 12 acres which they previously deemed necessary to the entire plan, what is the strength of their assertions that we need a new bridge or plaza at all.

For years these people have said that this plaza at this size has been NECESSARY. Oh, actually we don't need 12 of the acres. Just waiting for the next announcement, oh actually we don't need a second bridge.

There has never been a study or finding or any demonstration that a new bridge is needed at all. What the opponents of the new bridge have said from day one is that traffic stands still on the bridge and the delay is in customs. Therefore the construction of a second bridge will just leave more cars suspended over the river without faster processing or more capacity for security.

This does not deal with the health concerns of neighborhood residents (diesel exhaust from the trucks that causes high rates of asthma, respiratory diseases, and cancer), nor does it address the blight of highway and industrialism blocking access to our river and lake front.

And don't cry tears for our lack of progress. An unnecessary bridge, truck plaza, and "the mother of all duty free stores" can never be equated to progress.

any large infrastructure project demands debate, especially an international border crossing, and that discourse has gone on long enough. the facts remain, though. buffalo is, although at a slower pace than previous decades, losing population, and good paying jobs. and toronto and southern ontario is the 3rd fastest growing metro area in north america. it sucks to say, our local and regional economy, to a large extent, rely on the millions of prospective visitors from canada. these visitors support the sabres, bills, our higher ed. institutions (many times 40% of student enrollment), our architectural gems, bia, and retail to name a few. with the u.s. dollar value favorable to canadians, buffalo has much to offer.
the peace bridge is more than 80 years old and can no longer provide the convenient accessibility needed to maintain our symbiotic relationship necessary for the growth of our city and region.

Thanks for the comments on this. Earlier today the Authority issued a short statement in response to U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin’s support for a potential reduced plaza concept and the further exploration of pre-screening commercial vehicles at the crossing. The PBA is supportive of both approaches and will be able to speak more thoroughly on potential design concepts once we have received formal (written) confirmation from the General Services Administration and the Department of Homeland Security that such an approach will work for them.

http://www.peacebridge.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=121:statement-on-reduced-plaza-design-concept&catid=12:pressreleases&Itemid=695

Those who posted are correct in stating that a plaza reduction would eliminate the need for large-scale neighborhood encroachment and home acquisitions. And it is important to note that such an effort would also include continued dialogue (and hopefully implementation) of pre-screening procedures that would shift primary commercial inspection booths to an already available staging pad located adjacent to the Canadian plaza. While this is just a concept right now, we believe it has real merit at the Peace Bridge crossing and would address many ongoing concerns of City residents.

http://www.schumer.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=333379&

In this scenario the reduced plaza concept is not an actual Expansion Project alternative. Rather it would function as a current renovation to improve corridor efficiency, while finally bringing about a level of “certainty” for the future of the Peace Bridge and the Columbus Park neighborhood.

We hope to advance these discussions and have additional details available in the coming weeks. An effort will be made to reach out and communicate with residents very shortly so that they are properly informed. Please feel free to contact me with questions.

Here are some articles on the development for those interested in reading more:

http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2011/06/30/higgins-on-peace-bridge-were.html

http://www.buffalonews.com/city/communities/west-side/article473377.ece

Sorry for the lengthy post.

Best,

Matt Davison
Director of Communications
Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority
mnd@peacebridge.com

I think that this is a very good compromise. Having the prescreening in Canada means that all the backed-up traffic is over there, and the trucks can just roll in to Buffalo. And a smaller (but still new and nice) plaza would be great. If it could work well into Front Park, maybe with some nice sculptures or fountains as you come from Canada, it gives Buffalo a chance to make a great first impression on visitors.
I like this. Is it perfect, no, but what is?
Make it happen!

Has the tunnel idea been floated? Would its impact be any different?

If this project concept describes a renovation of the existing plaza and not a plaza expansion, as Matt appears to have depicted it, then this is a very promising development. I'm sure we can all hope a workable concept can advance that brings closure on this issue once and for all - and peace of mind finally to Prospect Hill residents. Consider me open-minded and optimistic!

Would be inter see the proposed footprint. My thinking is it still requires demolition of much of the neighborhood. The fact that they need to buy one more piece of property is meaningless.

Public opinion wins out! Refreshing!

Now, do those individuals buy back their homes?

About time...I think they should be confined to their same footprint. Double deck the customs booths. Also we don't need a new bridge. It doesn't matter where the cars are parked waiting to cross. Expanding a bride that can handle the traffic is dumb. As free flowing traffic the Peace bridge is more than adequate.

Matt - where is the design?

Wow.

Buffalo News reporting that plans for a new bridge have been abandoned. Incredible.

For years opponents to this project have questioned the need for a second bridge and in the end the PBA is moving on without one. Talk about total vindication.

What a waste of time and effort for the sake of a half-baked, powermad, paranoid truck plaza with a bridge stuck on it like a carrot at the end of a very long, cruel stick. The whole point of the exercise was to replace an aging bridge, no? But in reality we got a political tiff between Canada and the US (which we quickly lost) over an awful overblown truck inspection plaza. The PBA is a disgrace and should be disbanded. They have zero credibility and their Canadian lackey chief should go back to his quiet Ontario home and chop wood for the coming dark, bitterly cold winter of his psychotic dream.

In a classic Peace Bridge PR move, they stress that only one more home will be taken (instead of 100 or so). It should be noted that "one more" is in ADDITION TO the 7 they already own/blighted — including the local-landmark Civil War home of Col. S. H. Wilkeson on Busti Ave. (see it in this album: http://on.fb.me/k6whYj ) This 150+ year old brick "mansion" is possibly, the last remaining structure from Fort Porter history.

Is there a reason why trucks would prefer the Peace Bridge over the other crossings? Several cities restrict truck traffic on certain urban expressways (for example, unless they are making a delivery within the city, trucks are required to go all the way around the beltway to avoid congesting Atlanta and DC).

The requirements for the plaza could be dramatically lowered if the Peace and Rainbow Bridges were designated 'local delivery only'. Of course, the toll income would drop, but that could be alleviated by combining all the crossings into a single entity and sharing the funds.

Unless the cargo is originating from or destined for Buffalo or Fort Erie, there is no reason not to route truck traffic through Lewiston/Queenston and the 290. Keep the Peace and Rainbow Bridge traffic to personal vehicles and tourists.