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The next phase of Niagara Scenic Parkway removal is afoot. Sort of.
No timetable and no budget are included but a meeting for community input is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 6 at the Castellani Building at DeVeaux Wood State Park.
A 220-page PDF produced in 2013 is available online discussing 6 different options, considering everything from restoring the Robert Moses Parkway to creating a two-lane road and other mixed options best not described in a short space. Read the document.
Phase 1 of the project included removal of a portion of the former Robert Moses Parkway adjacent to the State Park. The project made aesthetic sense but did little to address peak-season traffic jams.
Phase 2 of the project was removal of the parkway north of the Aquarium to Findlay Drive. It was replaced with the repurposed Whirlpool Street, a bike/walking path and wildflower meadows.
Phase 3 will be the last 6 miles to Lewiston. Portions of it, like Findlay Drive to Devil’s Hole appear straight forward, remove the remains of the parkway, put in a meandering bike path framed by more butterfly garden and connect most of the DeVeaux streets to a new park road with a limited speed limit.
North of Devil’s Hole is likely the design challenge. In conjunction with the project, the Power Authority needs to replace the bridges over its dam, including the one carrying the Niagara Scenic Parkway as well as Lewiston Road. That alone may be a $100 million project.
Aesthetically, the roads involved are in a tight corridor as they head into Lewiston.
The Greenway Commission controls the decision. Only one option in the Scoping document, No. 4, which involves a meandering park road, meets Greenway Commission objectives. It is essentially what was chosen for Phases 1 and 2.
Phase 3 is likely to bring much public debate from people who favor being able to get to Lewiston more quickly and wonder why the state doesn’t just repave the existing parkway north of Devil’s Hole which is exceedingly bumpy and unpleasant to drive on.
The new scoping process, which will be led by Bergmann (which has joined Colliers Engineering & Design), will include traffic studies, environmental review, development of design alternatives and public engagement. The entire scoping and preliminary design process is expected to wrap up by August 2025.
No timeline is included in documentation but a completion date of 2030 might be a reasonable expectation.
A public meeting will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024 in the Castellani Building at DeVeaux Woods State Park. Project displays and staff will be available beginning at 5:30 p.m. with a presentation taking place at 6:30 p.m.
While New York State Parks will be the lead agency, the City of Niagara Falls, the Town and Village of Lewiston, the New York State Department of Transportation, USA Niagara and the New York Power Authority will serve as partners.
More information about the project can be found at www.niagaraparkwayremoval.com
