Skyway
Brian has been vocal in his support to remove the Buffalo Skyway bridge. For Brian, this issue isn't about tearing something down, it is about building something up.
The Skyway, while designed to be functional for the Buffalo of the 1950s, has since become a dangerous and costly eyesore. As an example, take note of the fact that the state of New York paid more than $10 million in 2004 to repaint the Skyway, and the bridge will need costly comprehensive deck replacement and other repairs over the next several years.
Last year Brian helped enlist the help of the Congress for New Urbanism President John Norquist, who, as the former Mayor of Milwaukee, led the charge in promoting demolition of a stretch of elevated highway in his city, clearing the way for over $200 million in new development in Milwaukee. Norquist's team will look at the impacts of what has happened in those cities which have already removed elevated highways - Milwaukee, Portland and San Francisco as examples of what is possible here in Western New York.
Rather than investing in something that only serves as an obstical to progress, Brian believes this community should work to tear down barriers like the Skyway bridge.
