Published: November 20, 2008 09:07 pm      

NIAGARA FALLS: Toll removal tops transportation session

Removal of toll barriers, improvements to infrastructure, the expansion of bicycle trails and pedestrian walkways and a proposed retooling of the state highway system highlighted Thursday’s meeting of the Greater Buffalo Niagara Regional Transportation Council at the Quality Inn, 7708 Niagara Falls Blvd.

The council also discussed the possible creation of a new freight and logistics center in the Buffalo area. The council is responsible for planning transportation projects for the metropolitan areas of Erie and Niagara counties.

The New York State Thruway Authority presented a plan for updating the state’s 50-year-old highway system that could include the removal or relocation of certain toll barriers in Erie County. The current Lackawanna toll station would be moved between exits 57 and 57A near Angola, and the Williamsville toll barrier would be relocated to an area near exit 48.

Erie County Clerk Kathy Hochul, speaking during the meeting, said the removal of the tolls would lift a barrier that has long been irksome to drivers traveling from the southern reaches of the Buffalo metro area.

“I support the proposal put forward today,” she said. “The tolls create a problematic barrier between Amherst, the Southtowns and Buffalo. It raises the cost of doing business in the area.”

Thomas Paricak, the regional director of the Thruway Authority, recommended a move toward a more modern Thruway system that places cash-toll barriers outside each metro area in the state, but allows free travel within those cities. The decrease in toll revenue would be offset by a parallel decrease in operating costs.

The project was projected to cost between $1 billion and $1.2 billion, funds that, Paricak conceded, may not be immediately available.

“It’s important to remember that this is only a model, and is largely depended on the kinds of funds available,” he said. “Obviously, these days, that can be a huge caveat.”

The council also approved a motion to begin work on a project that would improve roadway conditions for bicyclists and pedestrians and establish new off-road trails to create a sound transit system for bikes in metro areas.

“We have a vision of making bicycling and walking a regular part of daily life,” said Timothy Trabold, a transportation analyst involved in the project. “We can now present an integrated master plan that incorporates several past proposals into a new, cohesive project.”

The plan endeavors to reestablish, expand and mark bike lanes on targeted roads at a rate of 20 miles per year at minimum. The project will also experiment with other safety features, like using colored pavement to indicate bike lanes and making dedicated turning lanes for bicyclists.

The vote on beginning the bicycle and pedestrian project passed unanimously.

Members of the council also heard a proposal for a new shipping and freight center in the Buffalo metro area. Though the proposal is still in its infancy, the suggestion to convert the old Bethlehem Steel Mill in Lackawanna into a 21st Century logistics facility will be discussed at a future council meeting.

“A logistics center discussion has arisen within the scope of shipping trends in the region,” said Council Director Hal Morse, who presented the program on behalf of its creator, Wilbur Smith. “In previous decades, Western New York has been a hub of shipping. We should try to capitalize on shifting shipping trends by having a modern center for processing freight.”

According to the plan, the Buffalo area’s close network of road, rail, and waterway routes has the region poised for setting up such an operation.

“Much of this is not a matter of investments being needed, but rather the effective use of resources we already have,” Morse said. “We would want that type of facility to couple with our current freight industry to create a complete package of freight service.”

The council has not yet set a date for their next meeting, where discussions about the freight project will continue.

Rick Ahrens is a contributor to the Niagara Gazette.