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THERE'S NO WORD IF AN ARREST HAS
BEEN MADE. MADE.
ALSO TONIGHT IT'S BEEN A BONE OF
CONTENTION FOR A LONG TIME.
A TOWERING CONCRETE CONNECTOR,
CONSIDERED A LIFELINE FOR
COMMUTERS-- BUT ALSO SEEN AS AN
AGING EYESORE ON BUFFALO'S
EVOLVING WATERFRONT.
TONIGHT--- A NEW BATTLE IS
REVVING UP OVER THE SKYWAY.
AND, HERE'S A LIVE LOOK AT THE
SKYWAY RIGHT NOW AS RUSH HOUR
KICKS INTO HIGH GEAR.
THE DECADES-OLD HIGHWAY BRIDGE
IS DRIVING A NEW DEBATE TONIGHT.
SOME 45-THOUSAND VEHICLES CROSS
IT EVERYDAY.
BUT THE SKYWAY IS NO STRANGER TO
CONTROVERSY.
IT HAS SERVED COMMUTERS SINCE
19-56... AND TONIGHT, THERE IS A
NEW BATTLE OVER THIS EMBATTLED
EXPRESSWAY. NEWS 4'S LUKE
MORETTI BRINGS US THE LATEST
TONIGHT.. LUKE.
YOU MIGHT SAY IT'S A NEW
APPROACH TO AN OLD ARGUMENT...
AND BRIAN HIGGINS SAYS THERE ARE
CHEAPER AND BETTER ALTERNATIVES
THAN PUMPING MILLIONS INTO THE
SKYWAY OVER THE NEXT 20 YEARS..
CONGRESSMAN BRIAN HIGGINS SAYS
BUFFALO NEEDS TO BE SMARTER
ABOUT FUTURE WATERFRONT
DEVELOPMENT.
(( THERE SHOULD BE NO
RESISTANCE. )) HE'S TAKING AIM,
AGAIN, AT THE 56-YEAR OLD
BUFFALO SKYWAY. HIGGINS IS
ASKING THE STATE DOT
COMMISSIONER TO LOOK AT
ALTERNATIVES TO FINANCING
ANOTHER RECONSTRUCTION OF THE
BUFFALO SKYWAY.
(( REP. BRIAN HIGGINS/(D) SOUTH
BUFFALO: IT WILL REQUIRE 117-
MILLION DOLLARS IN REPAIRS OVER
THE NEXT 20 YEARS TO PERPETUATE
THE EXISTANCE OF THAT BRIDGE FOR
THE NEXT 50 YEARS. )) HIGGINS
SAYS THERE ARE ALTERNATIVES,
LIKE A BUFFALO HARBOR BRIDGE
CONNECTING THE OUTER HARBOR WITH
THE INNER HARBOR, AND TURNING
OHIO STREET INTO A PARKWAY.
BUFFALO COMMON COUNCIL PRESIDENT
RICH FONTANA SAYS HE'S MIXED ON
THE SKYWAY DEBATE BECAUSE
DEVELOPMENT IS ALREADY HAPPENING
AROUND THE SKYWAY
(( RICHARD FONTANA/BUFFALO
COMMON COUNCIL PRESIDENT: TO BE
HONEST WITH YOU IF THE SKYWAY IS
THERE TEN YEARS FROM NOW I THINK
THE CITY COULD MOVE FORWARD JUST
AS FAST IF IT WASN'T. I DON'T
THINK WE SHOULD LET THAT BE AN
IPEDIMENT TO OUR PROGRESS ON THE
WATERFRONT. )) ASSEMBLYMAN SEAN
RYAN CALLS THE SKYWAY A BIG
ALBATROSS, AND SAYS NO ONE CAN
WAVE A WAND AND GET RID OF IT
OVERNIGHT.
(( SEAN RYAN/(D) 144TH ASSEMBLY
DISTRICT: WE NEED TO ONLY DO
MAINTENANCE ON THE SKYWAY THAT
KEEPS DRIVERS SAFE. THE
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
SHOULD NOT BE LOOKING AT A 20
YEAR MAINTENANCE PLAN FOR THE
SKYWAY. WE NEED TO BE LOOKING AT
A TEN YEAR MAINTENANCE PLAN, AND
AT THE END OF THAT TEN YEARS WE
SHOULD HAVE ALTERNATIVE IN
PLACE. ))
(( REP. BRIAN HIGGINS/(D) SOUTH
BUFFALO: ONCE ALL THE FACTS ARE
IN PEOPLE WILL BEGIN TO LOOK
DIFFERENTLY AT THE VIABILITY OF
THIS VERSUS A NEW DIRECTION. ))
AND WHAT DOES THE STATE SAY
ABOUT DEMOLISHING THE SKYWAY?? A
FEW WEEKS STATE DOT REGIONAL
DIRECTOR DARRELL KAMINSKI TOLD
REPORTERS NOT ANYTIME
SOON...THAT ELIMINATING THE
SKYWAY ISN'T A PRIORITY RIGHT