The goal of the Humboldt Parkway restoration project should be to improve neighborhoods, to actually reconnect the Parks and all adjacent neighborhoods, and spur the greatest amount of economic investment across the whole East Side. The goal should not be to just maintain the current 75,000 vehicle capacity along only one roadway, which brings concentrated levels of pollution for just those nearby communities.

East Side residents deserve the same as the West Side

East Side residents deserve a full restoration of Humboldt Parkway to match Olmsted’s original design intent and tree plantings just like Bidwell, Lincoln, and Chapin Parkways.

Prioritize the health of local residents

There is no practical way to filter air exiting the Tunnel, so there will be toxic plumes of vehicle exhaust and particulates blown into neighborhoods at both portal ends. Local residents have already been getting sick and dying too young in communities adjacent to the Kensington Expressway. The EPA’s Environmental Justice Screen Tool shows neighborhoods adjacent to Route 33 have Asthma rates in the 95-100 percentile nationwide. The EPA EJ Screen Tool also shows neighborhoods adjacent to Route 33 have experienced Heart Diseases in the 90-100 percentile, and Low Life Expectancy in the 95-100 percentile nationwide.

We demand that the health and well-being of East Side Residents take precedence over the maintenance of vehicular capacity

A 60-year Adverse Health Effects Survey is required

A thorough and impartial epidemiological Adverse Health Effects Study is required to survey people who have lived along the Kensington Expressway to document what kind of pollution-related ailments residents have suffered over the last 60-years (asthma, heart issues, high blood pressure, COPD, pre-term birth, various cancers, and low life expectancy). This Survey / Study needs to be conducted before this project moves forward any further.

We demand an EIS that includes this critical baseline health Survey / Study.

Comply with New York State’s Climate Laws

NYSDOT's Tunnel Build Alternative does not comply with Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) mandates to reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) and a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030. Crystal Peoples-Stokes and Tim Kennedy are among the law’s sponsors. The NYS Constitution’s “Green Amendment” also demands clean air for all New Yorkers.

We demand that this project to fully comply with the CLCPA mandates and that other alternatives such as filling in and fully restoring Humboldt Parkway be considered.

Connect the Parks now!

Olmsted’s world-famous design is the first-ever fully-connected City-wide Park and Parkway System in the history of the United States. The proposed Tunnel all but guarantees that Delaware and MLK Parks will not be connected by a Parkway due to the fact that the Scajaquada Creek is buried five feet below Route 33 immediately to the north. A Cultural Landscape Report (CLR) still needs to be completed which includes Humboldt Parkway and the historic significance of numerous local properties.

We demand a full Environmental Impact Statement that includes a thorough consideration of fully restoring Humboldt Parkway and reconnecting MLK Park with Delaware Park.

GBNRTC should take over leadership for this project

The Greater Buffalo Niagara Regional Transportation Council (GBNRTC) examines projects through a much wider lens, accounting for cultural, historic, environmental, economic, and social factors in addition to the consideration of multimodal transportation options.

When NYSDOT failed to reach community consensus on their plans for the Scajaquada Expressway Corridor, the authority over the project was given to the GBNRTC. By implementing a truly community driven approach the GBNRTC was able to unite the community around a shared vision for that project.

We demand that this project be given to the GBNRTC in order to ensure that community consensus is built and that a holistic approach to transit across the region be considered.