In her recent Executive Budget address, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the state will inject nearly $3 billion towards infrastructure projects that “promote equity, connectivity, and multi-modal transportation opportunities for communities all across New York State.” This move aims to right the wrongs of post-World War II urban renewal projects that saw highway expansions disproportionately divide and disrupt communities of color across the country. 

As stated in the State’s press release, the investments aim to “reunite neighborhoods, promote economic growth, and revitalize many of New York’s most important urban centers.” The money will be spread over the next five years on projects to demolish, cover, or repurpose these longstanding expressways. 

Hochul gave this announcement in Buffalo, New York at an event near the Kensington Expressway, the construction of which removed the historic Olmsted-designed Humboldt Parkway and severed the connection between surrounding neighborhoods. As one of the proposed revitalization projects, the Governor also announced that the State Department of Transportation will commence an environmental review to assess alternatives for reconnecting and restoring the east-west neighborhoods in Buffalo that were divided by the Kensington Expressway. 

The review will assess opportunities to create new open public spaces, enhance bicycle and pedestrian safety, and reduce current adverse impacts of noise and air pollution. It will also seek enhancements to the local roadways to facilitate safe vehicle operations within reconnected neighborhoods. 

“Reconnecting neighborhoods that were severed by asphalt highways is a cornerstone of our bold infrastructure vision for a better New York,” said Governor Hochul. “Better infrastructure means better quality of life, and the communities around the Kensington Expressway in Buffalo and across our state deserve nothing less. These projects will help right the wrongs of the past through safer and reliable transit networks, landscapes designed to bring communities together, and routes that are friendlier for pedestrians and bikers.” 

Aside from the Kensington Expressway, other proposed projects across New York include: reconstructing the Bruckner-Sheridan Interchange at Hunts Point in the South Bronx, converting the Inner Loop North Freeway into a Community Boulevard in Rochester, covering portions of the Cross-Bronx Expressway to reconnect neighborhoods and increase open space, and removing the elevated section of I-81 in Syracuse and replacing it with a “Community Grid” consisting of new green space and pedestrian and bike access.