Schumer pushes to demolish Moses Pkwy.

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WIVB) - New York's senior senator wants to demolish a barrier that's standing between the City of Niagara Falls and its waterfront.

Senator Charles Schumer is calling for the southern portion of the Robert Moses Parkway in Niagara Falls to be taken down. Plans call for the parkway to be reconfigured between John Daley Boulevard to Main Street.

Schumer declared, "Mr. Transportation secretary, tear down this road!"

"You would see this road come out, and then a redesigned area here. So for what remains, it's a park road, not what is in effect the remnants of a highway," explained Falls Mayor Paul Dyster.

The idea is to provide pedestrians with access to the Niagara River. The plan is just weeks from being sent out for a federal transportation review, and Senator Schumer wants to make sure the feds move quickly.

Schumer said, "Right now the Robert Moses Parkway stand like a Berlin Wall, with the waterfront on one side and the city on the other."

Those closely aligned with the Moses Parkway redesign say it could increase property values in surrounding neighborhoods.

Faisal Merani of the Merani Hotel Group said, "It could be a huge boost for not just this project, but everything down the parkway."

Word of the project has prompted owners of the Fallside Hotel on Fourth Street to sink millions more into property renovations.

"Being a water adjacent property and a waterfront property make all the difference when you're marketing a hotel," explained Merani.

It's a $15 million project. The state has committed $5 million and Senator Schumer thinks there's another $10 million in federal transportation funds that could be committed.

"Visiting the Falls was an experience apart from visiting the city. We want to link them. This is a major, major step in linking them," noted Schumer.