Harlem Road
Reconstruction project moves forward
by KEATON DEPRIEST AND JESSICA L. FINCH Cheektowaga and Amherst Editors

The intersection at Wehrle Drive and Kensington Avenue will be reconstruction into a roundabout, one of two being built at Harlem Road where the towns of Amherst and Cheektowaga meet. Millions of dollars in business development is also taking place in the area. Photo by John Rusac

Technically, it's a project 23 years in the making, but work could begin as soon as January on improvements to Harlem Road.

Thomas Messina, assistant regional design engineer for the New York State Department of Transportation, said bids for the estimated $18 million project will be opened Nov. 30.

A 45-day review period will follow before a contractor is chosen.

"We anticipate the contract will be signed mid-January, and the contractor will begin work sometime after that date - weather dependent," he said. "People will be seeing orange signs going up in mid-January that there is work ahead."

Messina said the first proposals for improving Harlem Road were dated in 1983 to improve Harlem from Maryvale Drive to Kensington Avenue. Then in 1998 plans were extended to Genesee Street. In the past 15 months, the details of the plan, from Genesee Street in Cheektowaga to Yorktown Road in Amherst, were finalized.

Messina said the community played a major role in pushing for the project.

"The community asked to revitalize the area. They wanted to generate a uniform look out there - create an identity for themselves," he said.

Both Amherst and Cheektowaga have approved funding for decorative lighting to line the street.

In addition to the lighting, the design plans also call for decorative sidewalks, masonry walls and trees to be added to the district.

Reconstructing Harlem Road from Genesee Street to Cleveland Drive will take place during the 2007 construction season. Then in 2008, Cleveland Drive to Yorktown Road will be reconstructed with the roundabouts being built - the smaller one at Cleveland Drive and the other at Wehrle and Kensington.

Daniel Ulatowski, Cheektowaga zoning inspector, said the project will create a walking corridor for residents of the neighborhood as well as visitors to the district.

"It is a huge concern of ours to have a walking corridor," he said. "We hope this design will be a catalyst for our businesses."

Ulatowski said the Town of Cheektowaga had also been working with Benderson Development Company, which owns the Jubilee Foods' property on Harlem Road.

For several years, the town had been communicating with representatives of Benderson to gain a business perspective of how the district should be revitalized.

The main concern of the company's representatives was once again making the district a focal point of both Amherst and Cheektowaga.

Ulatowski said that although the reconstruction project has taken years to get to this point, it will be an asset to the community upon its completion.

"We want this to be inviting to everyone who visits the area," he said. "Time will tell how it shapes up for our businesses."

Thomas Schratz, vice president of the Harlem Kensington Cleveland Business Association, said the roundabouts will bring distinction to the area.

"The exciting part is the double roundabouts; it's a very unique idea," he said, adding that he thinks it's the only one of its kind in the state. "It's a marketing anchor. It will mark a destination so people will know where we are."

Prior to the work on the roads, businesses have already started to improve. Schratz said the remodeled McDonald's had $1 million of work and the CVS and Rite Aid pharmacies each invested more than $3 million into their locations.

With the reconstruction layout came the loss of Jimmy's Restaurant, which has closed.

"We are losing one historical anchor," Schratz said. "People would say, 'It's by the hot dog stand, by Jimmy's.'"

When the HKC Business Association became involved, it pushed for a likeness to Hertel Avenue in North Buffalo - a walking community with decorative sidewalks, restaurants and shops.

With Jubilee, Hector's Hardware, Trillium's Courtyard, Bing's Restaurant, Dairy Queen, Citizens Bank and many other businesses in that area, the HKC Business Association is creating a marketing plan to encourage motorists and residents to patronize the businesses in that area during construction.

Working with business associations from Orchard Park and Hertel Avenue, Schratz said officials are learning about what to do and not do when a highly populated area is impeded by construction.