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Pearl Street Traffic Conversion Progressing
by chocieni Pearl Street
Traffic Conversion Progressing
With design work underway, officials expect
the conversion of Pearl Street into two-way traffic to begin next spring.
Pearl Street, one of the major north-south
thoroughfares in the central business district, is one of the last one-way streets
in downtown Buffalo. Many leaders have been pushing for its two-way conversion,
dating back to the late 1980s.
Plans call for Pearl Street's two-way
conversion to take place between Tupper and Exchange streets and will include
the installation of a new stop light almost directly behind Shea's
Performing Arts Center.
Bids on the work are expected to be issued
this fall.
Pearl Street is one of several road and
infrastructure projects either underway or in the planning pipeline for
downtown Buffalo. Among them six streetscape improvement projects that have
been identified by the Buffalo Urban Development Corp.
The projects are:
• Main Street between Goodell and Allen
streets.
• Ellicott Street between Goodell and Best
streets.
• Delaware Avenue between Niagara Square and
Chippewa Street.
• Chippewa Street between Main and Genesee
streets.
• Pearl Street between Tupper and Exchange
streets.
• Perry Street between Main and Michigan
streets.
All of the projects including new street
lighting, landscaping and other improvements.
"This is a good starting point for us," said David Stebbins,
vice president, Buffalo Urban Development Corp.
Collectively, the projects total approximately
$10 million, but the city has just $2 million in hand. Stebbins said a priority
list will be cultivated and he should be ready to make a formal recommendation
on the work load by BUDC's July 31 meeting.
"We will have to make some choices," he said.
Separate from those projects and already
funded is a $1 million makeover of Genesee Street between Oak and Washington
streets. New York state has allocated funds to an urban village motif for one
of downtown's main entry and exit points.
Watts Engineering has been retained to oversee
the project, which should go to bid this fall.
The work corresponds with several major
projects that have taken hold along that block including the Genesee Gateway
series of buildings.