A few weeks ago, as debate intensified over whether to bring down Buffalo's Skyway or leave it standing, I asked readers to offer a brief summary of their thoughts.
The #BNdrone provides a unique view of the Skyway, built in 1953, a 110-foot-tall highway connecting downtown Buffalo to the Outer Harbor on Route 5. Its height was to accommodate the massive lake freighters that pass beneath to reach grain elevators in the Buffalo River and Shipping Channel. Loathed by many for the way it cuts off access to the waterfront, there is increasing talk of plans to demolish the highway.
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The I-190 connecting to the Skyway in Buffalo.
Mark Mulville/Buffalo News
Rachele Schneekloth beneath the Skyway, at Canalside in Buffalo. Schneekloth created the "Skyway Club" on Facebook, arguing the bridge should not be torn down.
Mark Mulville/Buffalo News
Rep. Brian Higgins on the Skyway: "This has to go."
Sharon Cantillon/Buffalo NewsThe subject of whether to keep or do away with the Skyway ignites fierce yes-or-no emotion in Western New York, Kirst says.
A view of the Skyway on April 27, 2021.
Robert Kirkham / Buffalo News
The Skyway passes over Canalside as seen on Dec. 18, 2020.
Derek Gee / Buffalo NewsSyracuse announcement adds fuel to already intense debate in Buffalo about the nature, function and consequences of the Scajaquada and Kensington expressways and, more immediately, the Skyway.
The plan calls for re-creating the historic Canal District by bringing back a neighborhood with small-scale apartments and other structures.
The boulevard plan calls for at-grade and elevated roads, seven new bridges, and the removal of three bridges along a 2.6-mile stretch from Route 5/Tifft Street to a new on-ramp at Seneca Street.
Sean Kirst is a columnist with The Buffalo News. Email him at skirst@buffnews.com.
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