North Coast Online

The Time Might Be Almost Right

For years I've argued that building a new Peace Bridge wasn't the economic necessity some claimed it to be.  If adding 3 more lanes to that one border crossing were so important, where were the businesses clamoring to expand here if only we'd do it?  Free trade (which I favor wholeheartedly) hasn't delivered for Buffalo but it's not the concept that's at fault -- it's simply that few, if any, have seen a reason to invest in this town because of it.

But that might be starting to change.

When FedEx Ground completes a 40 percent expansion of its Buffalo distribution hub this month, it will be able to deliver an additional 2,000 packages a day.

The expansion is needed because people are buying more on the Internet, and FedEx is servicing a booming population across the border.

The Walden Avenue project is part of a $1.6 billion investment to expand 30 existing FedEx Ground distribution hubs and build nine new ones across the country.

A growing group of online shoppers is driving ground delivery companies to expand their operations.

Forrester Research predicts that by 2008, e-commerce in the U.S. will grow by 19 percent and online shopping will make up 10 percent of all retail sales.

Buffalo's location has always been excellent for trade.  As we all know -- all too well -- our prosperous past was driven by our location at the eastern end of the Great Lakes.  But we can't forget that there were other cities with equally good locations and equally deep harbors:  Erie, Pennsylvania for one. 

And believe it or not, the city fathers of tiny Barcelona (next to Westfield) were once convinced that they were destined to become the great shipping terminus for Great Lakes trade.  Flash-in-the-pan Buffalo would remain a backwater, they said. In the end, it was individuals who, fortunately for us, took Buffalo's location and risked their futures and fortunes to exploit it and make the city grow.

So now, when we see Federal Express expanding (without any government subsidies,) and we hear rumblings of interest in air cargo operations at the Niagara Falls airport, we can maybe start to think that the area's potential has a chance of being realized.  Some more real, private money needs to be committed before we know it's all real, though. 

We shouldn't rush to open the checkbook just yet, but we might start dusting off the bridge blueprints.  Now what were those choices, again?  Oh yeah, signature or twin-span.

Whether You're 9 or 59 -- Underwear's Always A Winner

Derek demontrates uncommon good sense (that's meant generically and not by any means a critique of his usual sense) in his comments on my underwear post.

1) Build Bridge, 2) ?, 3) Create Jobs

Supporters of a new Peace Bridge remind me a bit of the underpants gnomes from South Park who stole underwear expecting one day to turn a profit even though they had no idea how that would be achieved.  A new bridge will attract more traffic here because the congestion will be reduced, we're told, and that will lead to increased economic prosperity for Western New York.  Yawn.

Let's face it -- a new "signature" bridge is all about giving Buffalo another pretty waterfront bauble we can put on postcards and Convention Bureau advertising (and maybe the Weather Channel will even show it all lit up during a lake-effect.) 

This piece in the News today illustrates how the bridge's practical problems are being solved without a new bridge at all.

Trucks have not backed up to the Ontario highway since the Peace Bridge Authority two months ago added three inspection lanes and booths, mainly for trucks, on the Buffalo side of the border crossing.

     Now, trucks rarely even stretch  across the full length of the bridge, said  Ron Rienas, Peace Bridge general manager.

The proof was never clearer than on Dec. 17, when the Sabres and the Bills played before sellout crowds within hours of each other.

From 2 to 5 p.m., about 2,670 cars crossed the bridge into Buffalo - an average of about 15 cars a minute - with many heading to HSBC Arena for the 5 p.m. hockey game or to Ralph Wilson Stadium for the 8 p.m. football match.

     Customs and Border Protection officials opened 15 car lanes and one commercial lane, averting a massive tie-up.

Imagine that.  The tie-ups were caused by having too few manned inspection booths.  Who knew?   Oh well, this thing has too much momentum for the powers-that-be to just let it drop because of a few pesky facts.  And I'm sure that someone will eventually claim that the creative class simply flocks to cities with single-stay suspension bridges.

Bridges for artists?

Can They At Least Paint The Old One Gray?

I'll believe it when I see it of course, but I must admit that it's a beautiful design.  I wish we could just get rid of the old one and that's why I hope they'll camouflage it.

Let's see now, it's been 10 years picking the design (and that's not really final yet) -- I doubt we could expect better than another 10 years to get it built.  After all, the Preservation Board is bound to find something it doesn't like. 

But just remember where you heard it first.  While it stands to be a beautiful addition to the waterfront, it won't change the local economy one whit.  Bridges don't create jobs, people create jobs.

And given current population trends, by the time this beauty gets lighted up, there'll be precious fewer people here to do that.