A new Siena Research poll commissioned by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority shows that 72% of residents surveyed in Erie and Niagara Counties approve of a proposed metro rail expansion. The poll comes as the NFTA pushes an expansion plan that has been in the works for decades. Last month, the Federal Transit Administration and the NFTA released a draft environmental study for the project, which would connect the University at Buffalo South Campus to the North Campus in Amherst, doubling the 6.4-mile light rail transit line.
The towns expected to be most affected by the plan are Amherst and Tonawanda. The latest poll shows that support in those areas is high, with 71% of those interviewed in Amherst and Tonawanda being in favor of the project.
Overall, the report claims that only 19% of respondents oppose the project, though 58% of those surveyed acknowledge the potential for construction and noise impacts. Those concerns are expected to be raised at a public hearing on August 19 at Sweet Home Middle School, which is located directly adjacent to the potential new line.
The full Siena poll can be found here.
