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Higgins Says Skyway Poses Safety Risk

By Eileen Buckley

Buffalo, NY – Western New York Congressman Brian Higgins says the State Department of Transportation is ignoring the dangers of Buffalo's Skyway.

Higgins Wednesday sent a letter to Governor Pataki, the State Department of Transportation and New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer indicating that the Skyway is "unsafe" for the public. The Congressman says he is putting the state on notice.

"If they fail to do something about it, their liability exposure is considerably greater," Higgins said. "We're notifying them that these are conditions that we're very concerned with. These conditions are now documented and very evident."

In the letter, Higgin's outlines hazardous conditions that occur along the Skyway. He notes that winter weather often creates dangerous driving conditions, especially along the elevated section of the Skyway. Higgin's also says poor maintenance and lack of a shoulder promote public safety risks.

Higgin has been leading an effort to have the span torn down as part of waterfront development.