The roundabout on Porter Avenue near LaSalle Park is mostly complete. The circle is now open to the I-190. Referred to as the Gateway Project, the unusual looking turnabout accommodated drivers looking to get to LaSalle Park, and others venturing onto the thruway.

Now that the picture is coming in clearer, as work nears an end, it’s interesting to observe the traffic patterns – this is a tad different than most traffic roundabouts in Buffalo. Not that it’s overly complex, but there are plenty of drivers out there who still have no idea what the right of way is for these sorts of intersections.

Of course the project is not completely done, but we can now see the crux of the grand plan for the circle. The overarching Gateway Project is multipurpose. One of the most drastic side benefits of this project will be the removal of Board Drive from Front Park. The removal of the roadway serves to reconnect the park that has suffered from poor transportation initiatives over the years.

Recently, bike lanes were added to Porter Avenue, which help to create a bike-ped gateway to the waterfront. Once Niagara Street is finished, with its Complete Streets in place, cycling will be better than ever through enhanced connectivity.

On the flip side, there are still way to many exit ramps onto the I-190, as can be seen with this diagram that depicts the “Benefits of Building Ramp D”.

Yes, cyclists will have access to more bike-friendly paths and roads, as can be seen by the yellow dotted lines below.

And if you look closely, above all of the hellish highways that bound the Niagara River, you will see that there is an improvement to The Shoreline Trail. We are anticipating that that will be unveiled sooner rather than later, since it is such a key component to the trail that runs along the waterfront.

I’m sure that we are all aware that Front Park was once the crown jewel of the Olmsted Park System. There were incredible vistas, with plenty of access directly to the water. That vision is now long gone. Until we can eradicate the I-190, or convert it into a boulevard, we must make as many improvements to the areas that surround it.

Porter Avenue is looking better than ever these days. It will be interesting to see how drivers take to the roundabout. Next, we can look forward to the completion of the Porter Avenue Bridge. Formerly, it was one of the ugliest, most downtrodden bridges in all of Buffalo. I look forward to seeing how it shapes up.

To learn about all of the idiosyncrasies that go hand-in-hand with this project, you can refer to this document by the NYSDOT.

Graphics and renderings: NYSDOT