The Kensington Expressway would become a tunnel for a half-mile, creating a new city park on top of the covered portion, under a plan that city and state officials are pushing.
Covering the expressway from East Ferry to Best streets would carry a hefty price tag -- as much as $40 million, advocates concede. But they are expressing cautious optimism that local, county, state and federal funds could be found for a project that would reunite an East Side neighborhood that was severed when the expressway was built in the 1960s.
The concept is also winning enthusiastic support from the president of the Buffalo Museum of Science, a longtime anchor in
the Masten District. Creating such an urban "campus" could bode well for the museum's long-term expansion plans, according to David E. Chesebrough.
"Stitching this neighborhood back together in a collaborative effort would be good for the community," said Chesebrough, who became museum president eight months ago. "But we're going to need a good forum for creating a shared vision and not an imposed vision."
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Masten Council Member Antoine M. Thompson is sponsoring a resolution that calls on state and city officials to study the feasibility of covering part of the state highway, which, though still commonly referred to as the Kensington, has been officially designated the Martin Luther King Jr. Expressway. His push is also being backed by State Sen. Byron W. Brown, D-Buffalo, who formerly served as a city lawmaker in the Masten District.
"There's a tremendous amount of support in the community for this type of project," said Brown. "It would restore a lot of green space that was taken away when the expressway was built."
Timing could work in the project's favor, said Lucian Greco, director of government and public affairs for the state Department of Transportation. A long-term "beautification" project is in the planning stages for a stretch of the Kensington that runs between Fillmore and Goodell, Greco noted. Work is likely to begin in early 2003 and will include improved landscaping, the narrowing of service roads and railing upgrades.
"At this point, our enhancement project is nowhere near the scope of what is being proposed here, but we would be receptive to meeting with officials to discuss the concept," Greco said.
Thompson said that in addition to reconnecting a splintered neighborhood, the project would bring other benefits. He said that if designed properly, the covering could reduce air pollution from exhaust fumes, increase recreational opportunities on the East Side and reconnect the historic Olmsted park system.
"Think about how Chapin Parkway and Bidwell Parkway serve residents in those neighborhoods," said Thompson. "This urban green space would serve the same purpose in the Masten District."
Thompson's resolution also won support Tuesday from several other Council members, including Barbara Miller-Williams of Ellicott and Betty Jean Grant of University. Miller-Williams pointed out that discussions have been under way between Council Member at Large Beverly A. Gray, other city officials and community representatives about the expressway project for quite some time.
Theodore Lownie, whose firm -- Hamilton Houston Lownie Architects -- is working with the Museum of Science on various expansion options, is convinced the Kensington project has merit. Lownie said the fact that the roadway is already below grade in that area would negate the need for expensive tunneling work.
"We've got half the battle licked in that respect," said Lownie. "The rest of the project would be accomplished with the miracle of concrete."
Columns would be built into the existing retaining walls along the expressway, Lownie explained. Then spans would be erected across the road to accommodate a covering that would be made of reinforced concrete and structural steel.
For several years, the Museum of Science has been examining various expansion options, including the possible construction of a landscaped deck over part of the Kensington. The current concept being eyed by city and state officials would be far more expansive.
However, at this early stage, museum officials said they are focusing their attention on obtaining support for what might become Phase 1 of the project. It would involve construction of a 1,000-foot deck from Best to Riley. Cost estimates range from $6 million to $7 million for this phase, Lownie said.
"We've already had some discussions with the state engineering division," he said. "We've been told that the concept appears to be feasible."
Is it realistic to think that enough funding could be obtained, even if the project is completed in phases? Lownie said securing money for highway enhancements, especially projects that accomplish multiple community goals, is often easier than finding money for other types of major public works projects.
But Brown added that caution must be exercised during each stage of the planning process.
"If this project moves forward, it has to take everyone's concerns into account," he said.
