Buffalo Trails Peer Cities in Adopting Congestion-Relief Measures

Buffalo installed adaptive traffic signals at 47 intersections along Main Street and Elmwood Avenue last month as part of a $4.2 million NFTA-led pilot.

The upgrades come as vehicle miles traveled in Erie County rose 6 percent from 2024 levels, pushing average morning delays on the Kensington Expressway to 22 minutes. Residents in neighborhoods from Black Rock to the University District now face longer commutes just as summer construction season peaks.

City planners point to the pilot as a low-cost way to ease flow without new lanes. The system adjusts timing in real time using data from cameras and sensors installed at those 47 spots. Officials say the effort draws from smaller-scale projects already running in Milwaukee and Cleveland rather than the larger pricing or rail programs seen elsewhere.

Local upgrades target two corridors

The signal work covers the stretch of Main Street between the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and the University at Buffalo South Campus, plus Elmwood Avenue from the Allentown Historic District north to Amherst Street. NFTA reports the changes cut stops at those lights by 18 percent in the first three weeks of operation. A separate program funded through the city’s 2025 capital budget added protected bike lanes on two blocks of Chippewa Street to divert some short trips off the main roads.

Those steps remain narrower than actions taken in comparable mid-sized U.S. and Canadian cities. Toronto completed its first dedicated bus rapid transit line on Eglinton Avenue in 2025, while Chicago expanded its Red Line extension funding package this spring. Buffalo’s current capital plan allocates $12 million for traffic technology through 2027, compared with the $180 million Toronto committed to its transit priority corridors last year.

Next steps focus on data review

NFTA will release a six-month performance report in January 2027 that includes travel-time savings and crash data for the two corridors. Drivers can check updated signal timing and construction alerts through the agency’s mobile app or by calling the traffic hotline at 716-855-7300. City council members have scheduled a public hearing on expanding the adaptive system to Delaware Avenue for September.