UN FLIPPIN BELIEVABLE.......

Everyone wants this thing down....even the Town of Hamburg who it primarily services. How does this happen. Are there any other cities in the United States that are currently in the process of actually constructing new highways on their waterfront?!?!?!?! Everyone else is taking them down. THANKS HIGGINS!!! WTF.

I thought it was coming down, is'nt that what we were told a few years ago?

The guy who emailed and said he can't move back to Buffalo, I can only ask, Why would he or anyone? Seriously, taxes, water and electric costs are as high as anywhere in the country. Population flees here like rats scurrying for a meal. Our leaders are pro-status quo and anti-progress. We're a pro-union (see growing govt and declining population means higher tax burden for everyone), anti-average Joe state and region.

So I ask, why come here? Basically, you're willing to throw away everything you believe in and everything that should be for geography? Makes no sense. How could anyone justify moving to this place in all seriousness when our so-called elected leaders can't make a single good decision in favor of the majority of the population?

Would you leave your current job for one where you liked the aesthetics of the office and your neighboring cube dweller even though the company was basically insolvent and on the verge of collapse and you lost money to go there? Hell no. That's the same thing as leaving Charlotte, Savannah, Atlanta, Baltimore of any other place.

What should happen doesn't, what shouldn't happen does. That sums up Buffalo, WNY and NY in one sentence.

When we start seeing progress in policy and governance, and thereby tax relief, we'll see change and hope and reasons to stay or return. Until then, a bridge, the Skyway, the waterfront and all these other quality of life factors are not enough to lure people or business that employee people into this cesspool of government waste, inefficiency and deterioration.

We can continue to offer tax incentive after tax incentive to companies, but no one wants to say the obvious: if we have to offer tax incentives, it's obviously not a good place to be!

A friend and I went biking last night and it literally took us an hour to get from Main and Chippewa to the lighthouse on the Outer Harbor and back via Ohio Street, the ONLY route for anyone on a bike! I have news for Mr. Levy, not only does the skyway need to come down it has to come down and will come down if the waterfront is going to work.

The Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. has shown that they are incredibly short sited. If not for public discourse the commercial slip wouldn't even be there, once there they would have built a parking ramp or other parking, and have had Bass Pro sitting on top of our historic harbor. When are these goofballs going to start listening to us, the public?

bring it down and put in two bridges to serve the traffic. The point of highways is to bring people INTO downtown. Not through it. Until we start designing our highways and roads to serve that purpose they will be nothing but barriers.

If ever there was a group that should be advocating for the removal of the skyway and not accept NO for an answer its ECHDC. Its the same old complacency from the same old buffalo development hacks that we've seen around here for decades. No vision whatsoever. Unfortunately, ECHDC, NYSDOT, Higgins, etc.... are probably all in each other's pants and nobody wants to let go. What happened to Higgins fighting for the skyway to come down? What happened to Higgins guaranteeing that the highway that he is supporting on the outer harbor will, in no way, extend the life of the skyway (asinine in itself)?

When are we actually going to have comprehensive planning for the waterfront??? This same old confusing, unaccountable shit is going to keep happening over and over again as it has for 60 years if we never create a comprehensive waterfront vision. Unfortunately, I think this is exactly what the ECHDC wants. They aren't interested in creating a vibrant urban waterfront.... They want to create a mall, anchored by Bass Pro with Highway Access. They probably see the skyway as an asset to their urban renewal type development. UN FLIPPIN BELIEVABLE.

refer to "thinker" comment above - why come to buffalo you ask? Why not? You mention high taxes, polotics among other things, but what you fail to realize is that an average person can live a comfy life here in Buffalo on very little. Home prices in our area are crazy low and I suggest that when you travel to other cities, you take a look at the real estate listings and realize that a $100,000.00 home can easily cost $300,000 or more elsewhere, so while the taxes may be high, our homes are cheap!

Now... on to the skyway..... weather or not it comes down, I really dont care. It seems at least that someone has put their foot down and said something, that way other things can begin to happen. If everything is left up in the air, nothing will ever happen. So if the skyway stays, then it stays and we work around it. Many people feel that a blank canvas is the best place to begin. I completely disagree. Why not use it to our advantage - like one previous comment said - "Light it up". I dont know about any of you, but I think that the view of Buffalo is amazing when coming from the skyway into downtown. An experience that not many other places offer. See the possbiliities, not the negatives.

BfloHighRise....that is one hell of an ignorant comment. im usually all for laughs but that shit isnt funny. nice job posting it twice making yourself look twice as ignorant.

as far as the skyway....we can overcome it being a "barrier" between the inner and outer harbor by passing beneath it. it will still be possible to connect the two. I think the skyway argument has become blow way out of proportion. some creative engineering can allow for the harbor to develop beneath the bridge.

brokeleg....please document all the instances in which a car has come flying off the skyway crashing to the earth below. holy shit what's wrong with you people. chicago has an elevated rail winding its way through the entire city and the city thrives below it. it can and will work.

brokeleg....please document all the instances in which a car has come flying off the skyway crashing to the earth below. holy shit what's wrong with you people. chicago has an elevated rail winding its way through the entire city and the city thrives below it. it can and will work.

The second elevated route 5 was allowed to stand it was a given the skyway would stay. There is zero reason to have an elevated expressway lead up to a lift bridge, etc.

As I have also stated before, we are affectionate when it comes to highways occupying all of our waterfront.

If cars started flying off of the skyway, I bet more people would come down to the waterfront---what a great thing to see---maybe then, with the increased pedestrian traffic, stores would start opening up and then you people (brokeleg) would see the hidden value of the skyway.

... people like & want the skyway? people want more, not less, "surveillance" cameras on Elmwood?? Panos is a good guy??? Geesh, I'm crawling back into my hole

What are some ideas to connect the inner/outer harbor? Ferry? Drawbridge? Tunnel? Whats the idea? As for the Skyway, Im not a big fan ever since I did a couple two, three 360s at the crest one winter, but when I went down to the waterfront it didnt bother me as much as I had first thought it would. Its probably quieter on the Canal than if the traffic was on a 'Blvd'.

where is the freaking plan? There is no masterplan for the entire Buffalo Waterfront. No 5 year plan, no 10 year plan, nothing that says how we get from here to there..literaly and figuratively. Buffalo is building in the dark.

The skyway has to go. and it's not just a bridge, its a jumble of ramps as it lands downtown that is responsible for pushing the city even further from the waterfront.

Also- as noted in an earlier article, Erie Basin Marina is nearly built out... So what next? the demand for waterfront housing will persist and new building will get built - but where? That is why we need a freaking plan for growth! not this piecemeal effort of uncoordinated projects.

Tons of highrise condos have sprouted in downtown Toronto right next to the Gardiner Expressway, which is much more intrusive and a hell of a lot uglier than the Skyway.

BP.. it happened in Portland and Seattle. We just need a little thing called a growth boundary and some forward thinking politicians. But fret not, the skyway will be there, so will the 190, 33, 198 and all the other scars that degraded the quality of life for city residents for the benefit the commute times of those who live outside the city. Cause that's fair in a city where 40% of the households don't have a car our most valuable land is given over to it...

And Toronto also is in another league with land pressures/growth/immigration/etc that we do not have here in Buffalo. compare Toronto to NYC, not to Buffalo. Of coarse stuff would not sprout up overnight. It took 40 years to kill it, it'll pry take a few decades to ressurect it. Take a look at San Fran's waterfront pre-and post elevated Ebarcadero freeway removal and the changes it brought. Who wants to hang out/relax/invest by a freeway? Keep our waterfront cut off from everything else and it becomes a big parking lot becasue everyone has to drive there.

"It such a quick way for commuters to get to and from parts of the south towns, which therefore saves on gas as costs continue to rise"

The NYS DOT said there would be a 4 minute longer commute removing the 1.5 miles of elevated Rt 5. There is no justification for its existence. Here's an experiment: Lets turn Rt 5 through Williamsville into an elevated highway for only 1.5 miles. Its pretty congested. East town commuters deserve a quicker trip through there also just like their southtown counterparts. Lets see how long the buisnesses stay there and the immediate blocks of houses survive. And then after we kill it, we can use the excuse that it is dead in order to keep the freeway there forever becasue no one wants to stop there anyways, its dead. Oh, and we can then bitch at Williamsville for not turning the area back around too. Good times for all.

RonR...sorry for my weak comparison. You are clearly the expert and I am not. Forgive me for having and opinion. My point is that a little creative engineering goes a long way. Keeping the skyway is NOT a death sentance for waterfront development by any means. Build something worth visiting and people will find their way down there. I have to agree that lighting up the skyway and making it more appealing will help. If done right it will be a very unique setting that could be positive.

If we want Buffalo and WNY to grow and be a great place to live it is going to take everyone help. But highways are the backbone that some rebirth of Buffalo is dependent on. There us a HUGE underutilized road infrastructure waiting to be used again. Streets grids can handle more traffic, more efficiently, and in a more environmentally friendly way than highways. Hence why other cities are removing them and cities were built that way to begin with.

Pundit, Higgins definitely was at the forefront of the remove skyway camp, but I really think he has backed off of that. How can he support building a new highway on the outer harbor and remove the skyway. That new highway is absolutely USELESS without the skyway. With no skyway you have an at grade road followed by separated highway and then at grade roadways again. Building that highway will not maintain capacity on the outer harbor without the Skyway. Higgins is absolutely contradicting his original views on the skyway and I think thats why you have not heard from him regarding it since. Can we get a politician that actually understands planning and urban development, please????

Maybe LoCurto should run for Higgin's seat.

Pundit, Higgins definitely was at the forefront of the remove skyway camp, but I really think he has backed off of that. How can he support building a new highway on the outer harbor and remove the skyway. That new highway is absolutely USELESS without the skyway. With no skyway you have an at grade road followed by separated highway and then at grade roadways again. Building that highway will not maintain capacity on the outer harbor without the Skyway. Higgins is absolutely contradicting his original views on the skyway and I think thats why you have not heard from him regarding it since. Can we get a politician that actually understands planning and urban development, please????

Maybe LoCurto should run for Higgin's seat.

well then get everyone in the same room, figure out WHEN the skyway can come down, 5 years, 10 years or 20, and then build a plan around it. Make it work. I am so sick of the idiocracy of Buffalo's waterfront story...

Pundit, Higgins definitely was at the forefront of the remove skyway camp, but I really think he has backed off of that. How can he support building a new highway on the outer harbor and remove the skyway. That new highway is absolutely USELESS without the skyway. With no skyway you have an at grade road followed by separated highway and then at grade roadways again. Building that highway will not maintain capacity on the outer harbor without the Skyway. Higgins is absolutely contradicting his original views on the skyway and I think thats why you have not heard from him regarding it since. Can we get a politician that actually understands planning and urban development, please????

Maybe LoCurto should run for Higgin's seat.

once the low level bridge is in place..tear down the skyway.

I would like to see a plan as to how this all happens. Maybe a waterfront urban design, access, and open space plan that includes a long range vision with the short range goals to make this all happen. Why can't our elected officials get organized? Other cities do it.

The skyway has sadly degenerated into a dangerous and costly eyesore. Worse, its existence continues to hamper efforts at waterfront redevelopment in Buffalo as its location remains an impediment to waterfront access to pedestrians and vehicles.

It is a source of many vehicular and traffic problems and frequent weather related closings, at this time, the Skyway is coming due for $100 million in state-funded: rehabilitation. In addition, officials of the Buffalo Police Department Accident Investigation Unit have repeatedly cited the Skyway as one of Buffalo’s most treacherous roadways. In my opinion, there is no amount of funding that can appropriately address the long-term needs of this bridge. The State ought not to throw good money toward an insufficient rehab project. The Skyway should simply be removed and replaced with a safer and more effective roadway!

where is all this money coming from to rip down the skyway and build at least 2 bridges????? BRO looks missinformed and silly posting something BS stating that Higgins wants to keep the Skyway.. give me a break.. and why are people not from this area on this message board AND bashing it? get a life

The decision's been made: The Skyway Stays. Now the city needs to focus on how best to improve the bridge aesthetics, and how best to develop underneath it. Constantly bickering about whether it should have been removed is a waste of valuable time and energy.

There has not been a decision made about the skyway.

well, there is nobody with any influence actively pushing to have it removed, or pushing to have the canal area developments postponed. Therefore, the skyway will stay.

call me crazy but why not really elevate the skyway even more to create an insane roadway and the funding could come from the conservative christian group that wanted to build the arch of life on the waterfront. two birds...one stone.

sleep, my posts may be lame but there is such a layer of undeserved arrogance that run through yours.

Paul - I know Higgins has said that in the past... but what is he actively doing about it? He's all for the elevated Route 5 and he is NOT trying to halt the inner harbor developments. It doesn't sound like he has convinced anyone at the DOT to remove it. There is no funding to remove it. So by what magic will this project happen??

Ok, for the record, I personally think that the skyway is not all that attractive. I also don't think that taking it down will be a silver bullet for anything. So I'm ok eother way. Here's what else I think....

Go to Google images, and search these 3 words together - Miami, bridges, and night - I Sooo wish I could post a picture of it here. Anyway, what will come up are many pictures of bridges, just outside of Downtown Miami. These bridges cover land and water (sound familiar?) Now, before you jump me, I'm not suggesting that Buffalo and Miami are the same. C'mon now. What I am suggesting is that if the Skyway is indeed here to stay, let's take a lesson from Miami, and see what we can do to dress it up...maybe put some lipstick on it! Miami lights up their bridges at night. Not with Christmas lights, but with contemporary blue flood lighting. In the pictures, it looks amazing. In real life, it's even more of a site. Why not do the same with the skyway. We have been drooling for years at the concept of a signature Peace Bridge. We could HAVE a signature Skyway in th enot so distant future. The pillars on the bridges in Miami, and the skyway are very similar, but Miami has found a way to incorporate these structures into their Skyline. Why can't this work in Buffalo? In addition, Miami has painted artwork on their bridges, so they are not as obtrusive during the day.

If we have $15 Million every 10 years ($1.5 million per year average) to spend on painting the bridge 1 solitary color, why not take some of the budget, and try to spruce up what we have. Like I said...I'm not a huge fan of the Skyway, but I Really think that we can turn it into something the people can identify with Buffalo, and we can be proud of. -- A Signature Skyway!

This is classic Buffalo, clinging to bad ideas for decades when the rest of the world has moved on.

Look, call in the Marines and Hollywood. Get the Skyway down in 24 hrs. Good training for the Marines; good footage for the next blockbuster.

Dodge Island Bridge over Intercoastal Waterway in Miami, Florida at night

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/segmental/segbr06.htm

Blondie, move into the city if you want a say about how the BUFFALO waterfront has been destroyed by this monstrosity. Long live local control! Buffalonians don't dictate the Hamburg shoreline.

exactly JO; Buffalo suffers b/c some jamokes from the Southtowns want a "faster" way to drive downtown; as opposed to simply using the 190 -- a road which itself costs plenty enough?

Biniszkiewicz has the right idea. The Skyway is great and unfortunately Higgins whipped up the troops to hate the Skyway. I like Higgins, but I also like the Skyway.

Steve, When you invoke "Bush" in your letter to BRO about the Skyway, you sound like a nut to many people and you weaken your entire argument.

Keep in mind that the "silenced majority" respect Bush.

Howard

Without the skyway how are people going to commit suicide anymore?

Sally, It would be more convientent to come up route 5 and cross a lift bridge that connects almost directly to canalside then to loop back after getting off the skyway at church street. Plus, if Buffalo becomes more attractive becuase of Canalside and waterfront development as you say, we will need the several city blocks that the skyway consumes downtown for new development. The skyway is a major infrastructure problem and to compare it to the solutions, it would be obvious. Unfortunately nobody has yet formally presented the solutions as part of a realistic plan that could be implemented. It is possible, and future skyway removal should be integrated into present and future waterfront plans.

BuffaloBloviator- It didn't take Higgins to sway any opinion against the Skyway, if you or others like it that's your opinion but it's blatant that you have horrible aesthetic taste. When you speak of your respect for Bush I tend to believe that people will think of you more a nut than the author. "Sileneced majority?" Did you come up with that or Rush?

Sally....any city that anyone actually wants to be in is a bitch to drive around.

The problem with the skyway is less about the actual bridge portion, but , as NYC pointed out, the offramps that go along with it. Downtown will never be connected to the inner harbor VIA Pearl Street, which is probably the most natural connection at this point, unless the gigantic skyway ramp that consumes an entire city block is removed. Sure we could make the bridge look pretty, but that doesn't really do anything for development. Go hang out on Pear Street Brewery's balconies and you'll realize what a huge detriment that the skyway and its ramps are to urban development and the connection between the water and downtown.

Boston successfuly developed with the central artery yet still removed it...it's not about excuses.