Published: June 30, 2009 05:48 pm      

NIAGARA FALLS: On the road to recovery

$3.8 million in stimulus funds headed to Falls for road repairs

Nine shabby city streets are moving closer to getting repaired.

Gov. David Paterson announced Tuesday the certification of an additional $7.4 million for Western New York transportation projects to be supported under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The list of projects includes a total of $3.8 million in federal funding for road repairs in the city, including a $1 million resurfacing project on Pine Avenue between Main Street and Hyde Park Boulevard and a $750,000 resurfacing effort on Main Street from Ontario to Walnut avenues. Other resurfacing projects on the list are stretches of 11th and 56th streets, Highland, Ontario and Lindbergh avenues and Packard Road. There’s also a $525,000 paving job for 24th Street between Ontario and Pine avenues.

Paterson’s announcement is one of the final steps needed to allow the city to begin the process of putting the projects out to bid. City Engineer Ali Marzban said the goal is to have the contracts approved in time to begin and complete all nine road projects this year, possibly by late summer or fall.

“We hope we can execute most of the contract during the construction season,” he said.

Mayor Paul Dyster warned council members on Monday he may ask them to hold a special session during the August recess in order to move the process along quicker. In light of the governor’s announcement, Dyster said he will make that request which he said council members have already said they would comply with.

“We are going to move as quickly as we possibly can with this,” he said.

Projects selected for funding were chosen based upon criteria established in the recovery bill, such as whether the project is shovel-ready along with other existing statutory requirements. The economic recovery funds New York will receive for transportation projects must follow the same process required for distributing all federal transportation funds. The funds are allocated to projects that are selected by the 13 regional Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) across the state, which are comprised of local elected officials, local transit operators and NYSDOT representatives. MPOs vote unanimously on projects for their Transportation Improvement Program, and the projects then are eligible to receive economic recovery funds. The area is expected to receive $72 million in economic recovery funding for bridge and road work in Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties.



Ready for repair

The City of Niagara Falls expects to use federal stimulus money to complete work this year on the following projects:

• $1 million: Pine Ave. resurfacing, Main St. to Hyde Park Blvd.

• $750,000: Main St. resurfacing, Ontario Ave. to Pierce Ave. and Pierce to Walnut Ave.

• $525,000: 24th St. paving, Ontario Ave. to Pine Ave.

• $325,000: Lindbergh Ave. resurfacing, 77th St. to Cayuga Ave.

• $300,000: Ontario Ave. resurfacing, Lockport St. to Hyde Park Blvd.

• $225,000: Packard Road resurfacing, Niagara Falls Blvd. to CSX bridge

• $130,000: 56th St. resurfacing, Buffalo Ave. to Stephenson Ave.

• $118,000: Highland Ave. resurfacing, Garden Ave. to Profit Lane