The courts ruled that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is required. An EIS requires the Department to start from the beginning to obtain updated current data.

It is estimated that a Record of Decision will be issued two years after the filing of the Notice of Intent (NOI). We estimate one year of preparation work before filing the NOI to allow for extensive public outreach and internal review.

Queen City Forward will be a fresh look at all options for the NYS Route 33 Expressway. The new project is not limited to options considered in previous studies and all options are on the table for discussion. The new project is distinct from the previous Kensington Expressway tunnel project in several ways, including a broader regional lens and the opportunity to develop a new purpose statement. Specific project limits will be defined taking into account public input, but may include consideration of a larger portion of NYS Route 33. Consistent with this regional framework, a new traffic study will be undertaken upfront and early engagement efforts over the next year will help the Department define a purpose and need statement for the new project, which in turn will influence the alternatives considered.

Queen City Forward will begin with a series of Public Listening Sessions in different locations to obtain input on the vision for the NYS Route 33 Expressway Corridor. NYSDOT will then present to the community what we heard and provide an opportunity to confirm and refine the input in greater detail. The engagement process over the next year will include identifying project needs and developing a draft project purpose statement, beginning the consideration of potential project concepts, and completion of a regional traffic analysis.

The NYSDOT will conduct a traffic analysis to study existing conditions and a potential “fill-in” option. This analysis will include current traffic volumes, future traffic volumes, and vehicle origins and destinations (where vehicle trips begin and end). It will study how vehicles would be re-rerouted to other roadways and the effects associated with that re-rerouting.

We are committed to studying the Scajaquada Expressway corridor and developing a community-centered plan. Due to the need to complete an Environmental Impact Statement for the Kensington Expressway, a study of the Scajaquada will not begin in 2025 as planned, but the study and corridor improvement project will remain a potential future project.