A $5.5 million project to enhance safety and improve travel along South Transit Street (State Route 78) in the City of Lockport is underway.
The project will create a new lane configuration and add dedicated bike lanes, sidewalks and other improvements to calm traffic and provide improved accommodation for cyclists and pedestrians along the busy roadway. The road, which serves as one of Lockport’s central commercial corridors and is also a key connector to Erie County destinations to the south, will also be resurfaced and re-striped to provide smoother rides and boost quality of life for area residents.
“This project will revitalize one of the busiest corridors in the City of Lockport, making it more walkable and bikeable and making it safer for all travelers,” State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said.
South Transit Street is one of the city’s primary commercial corridors and is lined with a variety of businesses. It also has significant residential areas as well. The corridor carries approximately 17,000 to 28,000 vehicles a day. To calm traffic, the road will be reconfigured from just north of Summit Street to Walnut Street, with the existing four-lane configuration reduced to one travel lane in each direction plus a continuous two-way left-turn lane in the center. Dedicated bike lanes will also be added in both directions.
Additionally, a small portion of Walnut Street (State Route 31) between South Transit Street and just east of Cottage Street will also be reduced from four lanes of traffic to three with a center turn lane to further calm traffic and enhance safety.
South Transit Street from Dorchester Road to West Main Street and Walnut Street from South Transit Street to Pine Street will be resurfaced. Traffic signals will also be upgraded, and new curb ramps and sidewalks will be installed to improve access for pedestrians and bring the corridor into compliance with current federal standards.
Work taking place this season includes tree trimming and removals, drainage upgrades, concrete work with new granite curbing, and electrical work. Next year’s efforts will include installing new traffic signals, completing concrete work and granite curbing, tree planting, new signs and pavement markings, and milling and paving the corridor.
Two-way traffic will be maintained throughout construction, but motorists should expect daily single-lane closures. Substantial completion is scheduled for summer of 2027.