Higgins Asks Reconsideration of Cable-Stayed Peace Bridge Plan

Rep. Brian Higgins pushed federal officials Sunday to reconsider their objections to a cable-stayed bridge over the Niagara River, arguing that environmental concerns have been overstated and that the bridge would not harm birds traversing the corridor.

Higgins, D-Buffalo, pointed to a 2002 review of scientific literature that found bird crashes into tall structures, including bridges, accounted for less than 0.02 percent of all bird deaths.

Ove Arup & Partners conducted the review of more than 1,500 publications on bird crashes for a similar bridge project in Hong Kong.

The review was based largely on data from the United States, including studies by the U. S. Interior Department’s Fish and Wildlife Service, the same office citing environmental objections about the Peace Bridge design.

"This data calls into question the whole thesis that birds are crashing into any structures in any great numbers — birds apparently have the good sense to fly around obstructions, just as pedestrians tend not to walk into light poles on sidewalks," Higgins wrote to James D. Ray, acting administrator of the Federal Highway Administration.

The agency is financing an environmental review and must approve the plan before construction can start.

Representatives from the federal agency have indicated to Peace Bridge officials that they would not approve the cable- stayed design by Christian Menn because the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency and Fish and Wildlife Service will not issue permits for the construction.

The EPA and state Department of Environmental Conservation found that the 567-foot-tall bridge could lessen the chances of survival of the common tern, a threatened species that nests in Buffalo Harbor and feeds downriver near Grand Island,

The environmental agencies also raised issues about the silvery emerald shiner, a tiny fish.

A 32-member design jury selected Menn’s design in 2005. Peace Bridge officials have said they now will try to receive environmental approval for a three-arch bridge that, at 226 feet, would be less than half the height of Menn’s design.

More than 1,000 other cablestayed bridges around the world did not have a significant impact on bird mortality, Higgins said in his letter.

"Yes, the Niagara River is an important place for birds to visit and to live, but so are most rivers and bodies of water crossed by a major bridge," he said.

Higgins also suggested a mitigation effort that could help birds. Utility cables downriver from the current Peace Bridge could be removed and incorporated into the new bridge.

The Hong Kong study found that the thick cables on cablestayed bridges, which can be illuminated, are safer for birds than power lines, which are usually thin and not lighted.

In a telephone interview, Higgins said the Federal Highway Administration has yet to issue a formal ruling on the Menn design.

"We have a long way to go here. This is very, very preliminary," he said. "There is ample time to aggressively challenge Federal Highway Administration — I’m not even going to say rejection — but concerns, about a twin-tower cable-stayed bridge."

Such a challenge will not interfere with the pursuit of a final environmental impact study, he said.

"Everybody has a goal of getting shovels in the ground by the end of 2009," he said.

Higgins said he hoped to set up a meeting between the Western New York congressional delegation and Robert Davies, the highway administration’s project manager, as soon as possible.

The agency has approved more than 200 cable-stayed bridges in the United States, Higgins said, adding that he wanted to find out how those other communities handled environmental issues.

jtokasz@buffnews.com

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