All roads lead for a new Bills stadium in downtown...Cars return to lower Main St

[DetDannyWilliams]

WASHINGTON – The city of Buffalo has won an $18 million federal grant to fund the return of cars to lower Main Street near Canalside.
Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., announced the funding on Monday.
“This has been a top priority for Buffalo and Mayor Byron Brown and we worked very hard to get this one past the finish line,” Schumer said. “This $18 million award – along with the $15 million we previously secured – have been a game-changer for Buffalo’s Main Street and downtown, and it will help create hundreds of good-paying construction jobs.”

Rep. Brian Higgins, a Buffalo Democrat who joined Schumer in pushing for the funding, said the project will involve returning traffic to Main Street from Exchange Street to Scott Street, thereby opening up more of the area to development.

“This will give us everything we need to have a beautiful lower Main Street that stimulates additional investment and job creation,” the mayor said.

Since 2005, money became available for construction for return traffic to the 700, 600 and 500 blocks of Main Street. Cars were removed from the street when Metro Rail opened more than 30 years ago, but urban planners quickly learned that the move was a mistake because it hurt business along Main Street.

http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/downtown-waterfront/city-wins-18-million-grant-to-return-cars-to-lower-main-street-near-canalside-20151026?sp-tk=439BA0513286A459A67D39F960410B97A7A63D67F727B9A59E1CF95DC4197C5926935B02B04479390B6D33A0AECF3094EF898E1EDE971B79867349A64FE6492E7AF6D703EF6B60BE926E990B0C8DBC317EAB4AF9BCBE3BCEFA876783014B6AF9E573F4CA38AC254394AFCFC5E48786E1A1999265DCA5C1E54B9C475672065A921468D87E924B511D2BCAD05B43CB7677B6DD93E0

If the new Bills stadium is built in downtown opening Main St. to traffic eases traffic coming into and out of the City if you look at a map of Buffalo all major routes hit Main St.

[BillsImpossible]

Re: All roads lead for a new Bills stadium in downtown...Cars return to lower Main St

Cars....of all things. They finally learned.

Or did they?

"Extend the metro rail!"

That is the latest cry from people that know nothing about business.

The NFTA is a giant taxpayer funded, corrupt piece of transportation crap.

Face palm.

[BillsImpossible]

Re: All roads lead for a new Bills stadium in downtown...Cars return to lower Main St

Does anyone understand how long it has taken the city of Buffalo to open up Main Street to vehicular traffic?

How long does it take to transform a 1.8 mile stretch of metro rail in to a modern day Main Street?

A privately owned company could have gotten the job done in less than a year.

Over 5 years, and $200 million and counting later, Main Street, Buffalo is still waiting.

That's how long it takes to get things done in the city of Buffalo, and the project still isn't complete.

In order to build a new stadium downtown, major roadwork renovations need to be completed before the construction of a stadium even starts.

You know the new bridge being built on the 290 by the Big Blue water tower and Cleveland Drive?

How much money did that cost? It's late October and it's still not finished.

The, "You didn't build that," crowd controls the road infrastructure scene in WNY because their government pals grease their palms and milk the taxpayers as much as possible.

They could care less about private property, or small business owners.

[Skooby]

Re: All roads lead for a new Bills stadium in downtown...Cars return to lower Main St

By the time the unions get through with this, there will be 3 gum wrappers on the ground and several fingers to point. Anyone see those guys actually work for more than an hour versus sitting in a parked car ??

[HHURRICANE]

Re: All roads lead for a new Bills stadium in downtown...Cars return to lower Main St

I was just in Buffalo. To be frank the city is doing better but Elmwood looks like **** and the waterfront that everyone is bragging about is somewhat disappointing.

We still have a long way to go.

[gebobs]

Re: All roads lead for a new Bills stadium in downtown...Cars return to lower Main St

You could turn the old Marine Midland Center into a parking deck.

Or have they ripped that ugly piece of crap down yet?

[WagonCircler]

Re: All roads lead for a new Bills stadium in downtown...Cars return to lower Main St

You could turn the old Marine Midland Center into a parking deck.

Or have they ripped that ugly piece of crap down yet?

Nope. Same eyesore as it was 40 years ago.

[BillsImpossible]

Re: All roads lead for a new Bills stadium in downtown...Cars return to lower Main St

Nope. Same eyesore as it was 40 years ago.

Tallest building in Buffalo, and it sits empty.

The Bills are the only NFL team in New York State.

Why do the New Jersey Jets and Giants play in Jersey, not New York?

Probably for the same reason businesses leave New York.

New York State is so corrupt and dysfunctional because there's no political competition.

New York City dominates the entire state, Albany enforces the rules, and every New Yorker that doesn't live in the Big Apple suffers because of their mess.

[Mace]

Re: All roads lead for a new Bills stadium in downtown...Cars return to lower Main St

I think they more want to renew Main St, as well they should. Besides pockets of life and the Chippewa St. area, it's a pretty feeble downtown because that stupid rapid transit system murdered it neatly as I remember. I had a front row seat because I started working at the huge eyesore right around it.

With the rapid transit system as it is and scaled for marginal renewal traffic, it will be holy hell if they do put a football stadium downtown unless they address the skyway and such around there, for which, as I understand they could probably easily get federal money for infrastructure.

I always figured if they did intend a stadium down there, Schumer and the local pols would pretty much throw all their weight behind killing two birds with one stone.

I suppose the one thing I'll always remember though is how Griffins rapid transit system basically gave people a more limited way to get to an desolate area it killed. A limited shiny pathway from nothing to nowhere.

[stuckincincy]

Re: All roads lead for a new Bills stadium in downtown...Cars return to lower Main St

WASHINGTON – The city of Buffalo has won an $18 million federal grant to fund the return of cars to lower Main Street near Canalside.
Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., announced the funding on Monday.
“This has been a top priority for Buffalo and Mayor Byron Brown and we worked very hard to get this one past the finish line,” Schumer said. “This $18 million award – along with the $15 million we previously secured – have been a game-changer for Buffalo’s Main Street and downtown, and it will help create hundreds of good-paying construction jobs.”

This doesn't make sense to me. Why would Schumer waste even a paltry $18 million on folks that would vote for his political party to their grave?

[Mace]

Re: All roads lead for a new Bills stadium in downtown...Cars return to lower Main St

This doesn't make sense to me. Why would Schumer waste even a paltry $18 million on folks that would vote for his political party to their grave?

He loves chicken wings.

[Ingtar33]

Re: All roads lead for a new Bills stadium in downtown...Cars return to lower Main St

This doesn't make sense to me. Why would Schumer waste even a paltry $18 million on folks that would vote for his political party to their grave?

it's to keep him safe from challenges inside his own party

I was just in Buffalo. To be frank the city is doing better but Elmwood looks like **** and the waterfront that everyone is bragging about is somewhat disappointing.

We still have a long way to go.

I spent a week in buffalo, first time in years. last time i was downtown was before the harbor project started. I can see the potential, with what they're starting down there. I got to walk around the area a bit and it's a nice improvement. The rest of the town is pretty much exactly as i remember it, though it looks like Amherst got a bit more development.

When i was flying in i got a good look at the south side waterfront from the air, and there is plenty of room for a stadium and parking down there, if they blow out the whole skyway and take out the old piers. it would make a gorgeous location for a new stadium. With a rework of the roads it would be pretty accessible, and the best part is it would bookend the undeveloped pit of a waterfront with two big beautiful projects (the harbor center on the north, and a new stadium in the south), which would leave just a mile or two left for someone to step in and recover for the city.

I am not in the camp that thinks buffalo is a waste. It's small, it's easy to get around, rush hour is a joke. There is more culture per square mile then most other cities could boast in their whole boarders. But there is a lot more that needs to be done. doing a waterfront stadium would only be a 2nd step for a revitalization of the city and there would need to be a lot of follow through which WNY is singularly bad at doing to make it a reality.

[Night Train]

Re: All roads lead for a new Bills stadium in downtown...Cars return to lower Main St

As an area resident, it's getting far better. Once a hopeless ghost town, you now have Canalside,Cobblestone,Larkinville and many people moving back into downtown.

If you haven't been down to see it, just stop talking.

[gebobs]

Re: All roads lead for a new Bills stadium in downtown...Cars return to lower Main St

And a casino! Don't forget the casino! LOL What a disgusting place.

[Night Train]

Re: All roads lead for a new Bills stadium in downtown...Cars return to lower Main St

And a casino! Don't forget the casino! LOL What a disgusting place.

Agreed. I hate casino's.

Ignore it and walk south a block down Michigan to the corner of Ohio and enjoy great food and drink at the Swannie House.