After more than a decade of planning, the NFTA is one step closer to creating an expanded network that would connect downtown Buffalo to the University at Buffalo’s North Campus in Amherst.
Currently, as it stands, the NFTA operates a 6.4-mile light rail transit line known as the Metro, which runs from KeyBank Center in downtown Buffalo to the UB South Campus on Main Street. A draft environmental study from the lead federal agency of the project, the Federal Transit Administration, shows the NFTA would more than double the Metro length, creating a line that would run under Niagara Falls Boulevard, and would be above ground along Maple Road, Sweet Home Road, the UB North Campus, John James Audubon Parkway, and the I-990.
The NFTA believes the $1.2 billion project would not only connect downtown activity centers with emerging ones in Tonawanda and Amherst, but also improve service for transit-dependent populations. An alternative version of the plan is also being proposed, where a rapid bus line would replace the light rail method of transportation.
A public hearing on the extension is set for August 19 at Sweet Home Middle School in Amherst, where residents and business owners who could be displaced are expected to voice concerns.
The draft EIS can be found here.
