Buffalo Could Remove the 198 and 33 in the Near Future

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New York State Route 198 or Scajaquada Expressway, which connects Interstate 190 and the 33, may be removed. The express runs through the middle of Delaware Park on the north side of Buffalo.

Part of the vision of the Scajaquada Corridor Coalition is,

Our vision transforms Scajaquada Creek into a waterfront landmark that our city deserves; providing direct access to the water, significantly increasing local green-space, and restoring natural habitats. The Scajaquada Expressway erased significant portions of Delaware Park, slashing apart the Meadow and the Lake. Our vision reconnects the park, restores the historic stone bridge arched over Delaware Avenue, and celebrate the cornerstone of Buffalo's cultural institutions.

In addition to removing the 198, the Coalition also is considering making New York State Route 33 or the Kensington Expressway, into a tunnel, according to WKBW. The tunnel wouldn't have any exits, so it's not clear where it would start and where the ultimate end point would be. The tunnel would be covered with trees.

The Greater Buffalo Niagara Regional Transportation Council, which was appointed by the Governor in 2019, is overseeing the vision and changes that may come.

I live in northwest Buffalo and both the 198 and the 33 are my go-to routes to go to the east side. I use the 198 to get to all the stores I shop at in north Buffalo and to get to Delaware Park, so I'm torn about removing them. I always thought it was strange that someone would think it was a good idea to build an expressway right through a park and another expressway right through neighborhoods. I hope that there can be some type of compromise, where we can have the park and our neighborhoods back, but also have convenient routes to get around Buffalo.