Erie County Legislature Resolution
MEETING NO. 11
June 5, 2003
ERIE COUNTY LEGISLATURE
RESOLUTION NO. 206
Re: Buffalo Skyway (NYS Route 5) Painting & Restoration. (Intro. 11-3)
A RESOLUTION SUBMITTED BY LEGISLATOR KUWIK
WHEREAS, the Buffalo Skyway, New York State Route 5, is a major thoroughfare providing direct access to the City of Buffalo from the southern suburbs for commuters, and
WHEREAS, the Skyway directs vehicular traffic 110 feet over the Buffalo River and City Ship Canal, and
WHEREAS, the Skyway, due to its height, location, and condition, is considered by many to be an eyesore and a major impediment to the waterfront and inner and outer harbor economic development projects, and is no longer necessary due to the absence of lake freighters entering the City Ship Canal, and
WHEREAS, New York State Assemblyman Brian Higgins has called for a study and examination of the options for the development of the harbor area, focusing on the potential elimination of the Skyway and its replacement with an alternative corridor, such as a tunnel, and
WHEREAS, Assemblyman Higgins has been joined by Buffalo Mayor Anthony Masiello and Assemblyman Richard Smith in a discussion of the long-range use of the waterfront and the potential devolution of Route 5 into a parkway starting at the foot of the Skyway, thus contributing to the revitalization of the waterfront and better and easier access for the public to the Lake and harbor, and
WHEREAS, the demolition and removal of the Skyway will open- up 100 acres of prime waterfront land for development and public uses, including parks and beaches, and
WHEREAS, there is significant public and governmental support for the elimination of the Skyway, and
WHEREAS, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) has announced that it will commence with a 16-month long painting and restoration of the Buffalo Skyway, New York State Route 5, and
WHEREAS, that painting project will cost $11.4 million, and
WHEREAS, in 1999 and 2000, a $5.7 million project to clean and repaint the Skyway, awarded to a Poughkeepsie, NY firm, was halted midway when the firm experienced financial distress and closed and the bonding company guaranteeing the project entered receivership, and
WHEREAS, in 1985, a similar effort to clean and paint the Skyway resulted in some 2,500 cars and boats parked near or underneath the bridge being damaged with grit or paint, leading to hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage and reflecting the cost and difficulty associated with maintaining the bridge, and
WHEREAS, in the near future, the Skyway will require expensive and extensive rehabilitation costs, including painting, a comprehensive deck replacement, sub-structural repairs, and other work totaling as much as $100 million, and regular maintenance costs that make the structure prohibitively expensive, and
WHEREAS, the Buffalo Police Department, over a recent three-year period, responded to 1,269 police and emergency calls on the Skyway, 167 of which resulted in personal injury or death, and
WHEREAS, in times of inclement weather, the Buffalo Police Department is forced to dedicate six patrol cars and numerous police officers to barricade and close the Skyway, costing thousands of dollars per year, and
NOW THEREFORE BE IT
RESOLVED, that the Erie County Legislature supports and encourages the award of local transportation and other public sector contracts, where possible, to local construction firms and companies that employ significant numbers of local union employees, and be it further
RESOLVED, that the Erie County Legislature calls on NYSDOT to reexamine repainting the Skyway in these difficult fiscal times at a cost of $11.4 million when the structure may be demolished and replaced within the next few years, and be it further
RESOLVED, that the Erie County Legislature calls on NYSDOT to initiate a much more limited repainting and restoration of the Skyway that ensures public safety and guarantees the integrity and stability of the bridge, while limiting costs while a review can be undertaken to study the potential for a tunnel or other alternatives, and be it further
RESOLVED, that the Erie County Legislature expresses its support to Assemblyman Brian Higgins and the local state delegation in their efforts to replace the Skyway, and be it further
RESOLVED, that the Erie County Legislature calls on the State of New York to provide funding to conduct a comprehensive study of alternatives to the Skyway, including the costs of those alternatives, and be it further
RESOLVED, that the Erie County Legislature calls on the local federal delegation to work together to develop federal funds to assist in the replacement of the Skyway in the context of the development of the waterfront and harbor, and be it further
RESOLVED, that certified copies of this resolution be transmitted to Joseph H. Boardman, Commissioner of NYSDOT, Alan E. Taylor, Acting Regional Director of NYSDOT, Robert E. O’Connor, Regional Construction Manager of NYSDOT, Assemblymen Brian Higgins and Richard Smith, Senator William Stachowski, Erie County Executive Joel Giambra, Buffalo Mayor Anthony Masiello, and members of the local federal delegation.
Fiscal Impact: Highly significant for the development of the Buffalo waterfront.
MR. RANZENHOFER moved to amend the resolution. MR. KUWIK seconded.
CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
DELETE the first RESOLVED clause and REPLACE with the following:
RESOLVED, that the Erie County Legislature supports and encourages the award of local transportation and other public sector contracts, where possible, to local construction firms and companies that employ significant numbers of local employees, and be it further
MR. KUWIK moved the approval of the resolution as amended.
MR. HOLT seconded.
CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.