Press Releases

Congressman Tim Kennedy (NY-26) announced $625,000 in new federal funding for the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) toward investments that facilitate and evaluate public-private partnerships for transit-oriented affordable housing and mixed-use development at the LaSalle & DL&W Metro Rail Stations.  

“This federal funding leverages private sector investments that maximize opportunities for multi-use transportation infrastructure development,” Congressman Kennedy said. “This award will build on additional state and federal infrastructure allocations laying the groundwork for a comprehensive Main Street corridor transformation.” 

“We are so appreciative of the financial support we are receiving for this unique and impactful project,” said Kim Minkel, Executive Director of the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority. “Transit Oriented Development will strengthen our community for many generations to come, and we are thankful for this critical funding and excited to work on this transformational initiative.”

“Thank you to the Biden-Harris Administration and Congressman Tim Kennedy for this significant investment in Transit,” Council Member Rasheed N.C. Wyatt, University District said. “This upgrade in the University District is poised to upgrade and significantly leverage critical investment to amplify the impact on other key projects in the area including the Thomas Smith Multi-Purpose Facility at Shoshone Park, LaSalle Station Development, and Rails at Main Street Apartment Complex, and cementing the area's status as a vibrant hub of community activity.”

Transit-oriented development invests in the urban landscape, improves walkability, and enhances access to jobs and opportunity. The funding announced by Rep. Kennedy will support the planning and development of transit-oriented development at the LaSalle and DL&W stations.  

The NFTA Metro LaSalle Station is located on the corner of Main Street and LaSalle Avenue in Buffalo’s University District and adjacent to North Buffalo Rails to Trails connecting Buffalo and Tonawanda bicycle paths. In May the NFTA and City of Buffalo issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the LaSalle Station Equitable Transit Oriented Development in response to Governor Kathy Hochul’s call for state agencies and authorities to examine opportunities to increase affordable housing. Responses to the RFP are now under review.  It is anticipated that the LaSalle station project will add more than 300 new units of housing and invest more than a hundred million dollars in the surrounding neighborhood.  

The DL&W Station sits along the Buffalo River at the intersection of the Cobblestone District and Canalside. Work is underway to extend the Metro Rail into the ground floor of the DL&W Terminal. Two million dollars in additional federal funding was previously allocated to support construction of a pedestrian bridge connecting the DL&W Station to the KeyBank Center. One million dollars in federal resources will also be invested in a project renovating the Riverwalk trail that runs between the DL&W Terminal and the Buffalo River.  

Additional Information: 

The U.S. Department of Transportation encourages the incorporation of public-private partnerships (P3) in the design, construction, financing, and operation of public infrastructure projects. The funding awarded to the NFTA is one of 45 projects nationwide receiving a total of $49.46 million through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Innovative Finance and Asset Concession Grant Program.

A combination of federal and state funding totaling $54 million, supported by Kennedy during his time serving as Chair of the New York State Senate’s Transportation Committee, is currently being invested in the latest phase of the Cars Sharing Main Street project, which restores vehicular traffic to Main Street between Mohawk and Exchange Streets.  

Separately, $50 million in federal funding will support the reconstruction of middle Main Street from Goodell Street to Kensington Avenue, with work scheduled to begin in 2025. 

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