Road resurfacing work kicks off downtown as spring brings projects across Buffalo

Apr. 22—Street resurfacing has kicked off for the season with highly visible projects downtown, along with others planned across the city, officials announced Thursday.

The work will enhance travel and safety for those who use city roadways, while also improving access for the disabled through newly reconstructed Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant sidewalk ramps, said Michael J. Finn, commissioner of Public Works, Parks and Streets.

"We just completed the base layer of Franklin Street between Chippewa and Court streets, which goes past the Convention Center. That's part of the larger entertainment district project that started with Chippewa Street last year," Finn said.

The cost of the upgrades along Chippewa between Elmwood Avenue and Main Street totaled $8 million. It included repaving, complete sidewalk replacements and new curbing, as well as the installation of new city-owned LED street lighting, benches, catenary lighting and other amenities. This year, similar improvements are taking place along Franklin and Court streets.

"Another big corridor for us that we just started was Delaware Avenue between North (Street) and Forest (Avenue)," Finn said.

The ramp work is continuing along the northbound lane, and will be followed by similar work along the southbound lane. That work will be followed by milling and repaving of all four lanes. Two-way traffic will be maintained throughout the project, with lane restrictions as needed. This project is scheduled for completion this summer, Finn said.

"There's also a bunch of projects for the East Side, as well," he added. "We've got East Delavan from Humboldt (Parkway) to Fillmore (Avenue). That's scheduled to be resurfaced in May. The ADA ramps were completed on that stretch last fall."

A contractor has been working on upgrading ramps on Bailey Avenue between Elk and Dingens streets and on Dingens from Bailey to James E. Casey Drive. Finn said paving on those stretches is set to start next week.

Other planned projects include:

—Pavement milling on East Delavan Avenue from Humboldt Parkway to Fillmore Avenue, which is set for early May and scheduled to wrap up with paving during the summer.

—Sidewalk ramp reconstruction, as well as milling and paving on Suffolk Avenue in front of Frederick Law Olmsted School at Kensington, between Langfield Drive and Kensington Avenue, will begin in late June at the start of summer recess.

—Ramp reconstruction, milling and paving on Virginia Street from Elmwood Avenue to Main Street.

—Continuation of the multi-phase Niagara Street Reconstruction Project.

—Continuation of the Allen Street Reconstruction Project.

"It's certainly not everything we're doing this summer, but it's some of the works that we've kicked off," Finn said. "Mother Nature is not being as cooperative as we'd like ... but we're still seeing a lot of progress on getting work done and looking forward to doing more."

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