Buffalo Skyway Removal Project

The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) proposes removing the Skyway and constructing associated improvements to various roadways, freeways, and toll facilities. The Buffalo Skyway, a 5,800-foot-long viaduct carrying NYS Route 5 and connecting interstate highways with the City’s downtown core, has been a critical component of the metropolitan area transportation network for over 50 years.

The project aims to realign the transportation network to support existing and planned recreational, mixed-use, and waterfront development in the Buffalo Outer and Inner Harbor areas. Along with the proposed removal of the Skyway, the project includes the design of a new connector highway and improvements to I-190, including a potential widening by one lane in each direction. Removing the Skyway will open hundreds of acres along the waterfront for recreation and development. The project will address the safety, operational, and capacity deficiencies of the highway connections to enhance mobility and economic growth in the communities of South Buffalo. It will also dramatically improve bicycle and pedestrian connections.

Initially, TYLin identified and evaluated project concepts related to the long-term needs of the aging viaduct and this travel corridor. Five months into the project, NYSDOT amended the scope to include a Scoping Report and full EIS. Adapting quickly, the project team held dozens of public involvement and stakeholder meetings, completed the report, and produced a Draft EIS for NYSDOT and Federal Highway Administration review.

As part of the expanded Scoping Report, the TYLin team analyzed 25 concepts. These included maintaining the existing structure, constructing a new structure on the current or a new alignment, and removing the existing structure with upgrades to accommodate the anticipated traffic growth of the regional transportation network. The EIS evaluated the no-build and two-build alternatives and all associated environmental studies, economic studies, and visual impact analyses.

We provided preliminary design services for one build alternative, a boulevard roadway and bridge over multiple rail lines. We performed traffic engineering and transportation planning services, including alternatives analysis, traffic volume forecasts, and diversions based on travel demand modeling in coordination with the Greater Buffalo Niagara Regional Transportation Council and VISSIM simulation calibration and analysis. We developed and evaluated operational improvements to the I-190 mainline, interchanges, adjacent corridors, and affected intersections. The VISSIM model encompassed highways, interchanges (existing and new), arterials, and signalized and unsignalized intersections, including significant portions of Downtown Buffalo’s urban street grid.

The project is paused, but the proposed construction includes a new 2.6-mile connector roadway to realign a section of NYS Route 5 between Tifft Street and I-190 (near Exit 3), seven new bridges, and removing three existing bridges. Planned improvements to I-190 between Exit 3 and Downtown Buffalo include roadway and bridge widening to accommodate acceleration and deceleration lanes and auxiliary lanes between interchanges. The project plans include intersection and signal improvements throughout the study area and a new two-mile shared-use path.   

Project Highlights

• More than 40,000 vehicles, including 3,000 trucks, traverse the 52-span Buffalo Skyway daily.
• The stakeholder and public involvement meetings, Scoping Report, and Draft EIS were completed in less than 13 months.
• This portion of the project was completed under an accelerated schedule via the “One Federal Decision” process.
• Our team addressed environmental issues, provided economic impact and cost-benefit analyses, and delivered expertise in urban planning, geographic information systems, highway design, bridge inspection and design, transportation planning, traffic forecasting, surveying, and more. 
• Our bridge design included a new bridge over a large railroad yard, spanning 1,550 feet over 13 active rail lines.
• We provided crash analysis, coordination, and permitting (for testing) with multiple railroads, drainage and stormwater management analysis and design, and detailed cost estimates.
• The project involves hazardous waste sites.
• We developed Travel Demand Management (TDM) measures that could minimize future traffic growth in the region.
• Our experts researched trends in telecommuting, including the anticipated lasting effects of remote working in a post-COVID-19 environment.
• Traffic analyses were performed for the 2025 Estimated Time of Completion (ETC) and 2045 (ETC+20) design years.