Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Charles Schumer

Chuck Schumer on Niagara Falls Highway: “Tear Down This Road”

1:53 PM EST on December 13, 2011

Most members of Congress are excited to cut the ribbon for a new stretch of freeway, but it's a smaller set indeed that will stand up for the removal of a highway, no matter how neighborhood-blighting. As of yesterday, count New York Senator Chuck Schumer among their number.

“Right now, the Robert Moses Parkway stands as a Berlin Wall, with the state park on one side and the city on the other,” Schumer said at a press conference yesterday. “Our message to the transportation secretary is clear: Tear down this road.”

The highway in question is a short stretch of the Robert Moses Parkway in downtown Niagara Falls (the name adds a certain historical sweetness to its removal). The highway, which sits on an elevated berm, would be replaced with a lower and slower two lane "park road" and bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Taking down one mile of highway, said Schumer's office, would open up 40 acres of the waterfront.

Schumer promised to secure $10 million in federal funds needed to complete the design work for the highway removal and urged Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood to fast-track the project through federal review. "For years, this project that would help transform downtown Niagara Falls has been stuck in the mud. Enough is enough; we must tear down this road," said Schumer in a press release. "Lowering the Parkway would connect downtown with the majestic views of the waterfront park, pumping new life into Niagara Falls. We absolutely have to get this done.”

The Congress for the New Urbanism, the leading advocates of highway teardowns nationally, celebrated Schumer's support. "CNU's John Norquist has long argued that freeways like the Robert Moses Parkway are monoliths from a disastrous planning era have no place in cities," said CNU program director Caitlin Ghoshal. "But federal, state, and local governments are just now better understanding the financial and transportation implications that make teardowns a good decision for taxpayers."

CNU lists three New York highways above the Robert Moses Parkway on its list of "Freeways Without Futures" -- the Bronx's Sheridan Expressway, Buffalo's Skyway and Route 5, and Syracuse's I-81. Though Schumer forcefully articulated the damage that highways can do to the urban fabric yesterday, don't expect him to get out in front when it comes to the removal of those three highways.

While there is a local push underway to remove a much longer stretch of the Robert Moses connecting Niagara Falls to Lewiston, New York, Schumer said he's staying out of that fight. “I’ll leave that up to the local folks. When the local folks determine that’s something is good and needed, and the facts bear that out, my job is to bring federal dollars,” Schumer said at a press conference, according to belowthefalls.com.

Schumer decided to support the downtown Niagara Falls highway teardown, his office said, due to a solid consensus behind removing the downtown stretch of the Robert Moses and the project's particularly strong economic development benefit, given Niagara Falls' 8 million annual tourists.

Still, it's an exclusive club of United States senators willing to support a reduction in automobile capacity at all. Connecticut's Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman each voiced support for New Haven's plans to replace the Route 34 highway stub with a boulevard and development, and Maryland's Barbara Mikulski -- who got her start in politics fighting a freeway -- cheered the teardown of Baltimore's Route 40. Dianne Feinstein supported but didn't succeed in removing San Francisco's Embarcadero Freeway while mayor.

Of course, Schumer could really set himself apart by pushing for more than one highway teardown.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Labor Gains: Judge Tosses App Giants’ Suit to Stop Deliverista Minimum Wage

Justice Nicholas Moyne cleared the way for a long-delayed wage hike for workers who brave dangerous roads to bring food directly to New Yorkers.

September 29, 2023

Fed Up Bronxites Tell Mayor To Forget About Bus Ride Invitation After Fordham Road ‘Betrayal’

"I really would think that our mayor would be a little bit more active and speak with us, because he hasn't really made any time with riders. We're not the enemy. We just want better bus service."

September 29, 2023

City Pays $150K to Settle Suit Over Cops Who Harassed Man Who Reported Police Parking Misconduct

Justin Sherwood and his lawyer will pocket $152,000 to settle his federal civil rights suit against the city and several officers who harassed him following his 311 calls.

September 28, 2023

Police Brass Gets Booed During E-Vehicle Safety Alliance Meeting for Applauding Deliveristas

Attendees of the E-Vehicle Safety Alliance's latest meeting castigated a Transportation Bureau deputy inspector for saying that delivery workers are responsive to safety issues.

September 28, 2023
See all posts