Iroquois Drive Reconstruction

The State University of New York Buffalo State College (Buffalo State) was founded in 1871 and is a 125-acre campus. The campus sees approximately 11,000 vehicular commuters per day, including students, faculty, and supporting staff. Iroquois Drive serves as a primary access road for the north parking lots. It connects the athletic facilities at Coyer Field to the Moore Complex and the central core of the campus. The road had experienced extensive deterioration and damage to the road surface, roadbed, subgrade, curbs, sidewalks, traffic protection (guide rails), retaining walls, surface drainage structures, and subsurface stormwater piping system. The existing sidewalk did not have a continuous walking pathway to accommodate walkers, joggers, and bicyclists who traveled along the roadway, which created a safety risk.

The goal was to significantly enhance the northern boundary of the campus by establishing a sustainable complete street that accommodated vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists while creating opportunity for passive recreation and integration into the evolving Scajaquada Expressway corridor. The project was implemented under the State University Construction Fund (SUCF). Key stakeholders included Buffalo State, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), and the City of Buffalo.

Complete street improvements included:

• Pavement reconstruction, including full-depth reconstruction of the existing roadway
• A decorative concrete multiuse pathway connecting campus activity centers
• Retaining wall structural condition assessment and rehabilitation
• Upgraded traffic barrier with cast-in-place concrete and a galvanized guardrail
• Storm sewer replacement
• New energy-efficient street lighting and pedestrian scale lighting for multiuse pathways consistent with the campus’s lighting standards
• Stormwater treatment implemented outside of the project limits for discharge to a Class B stream

In collaboration with the campus horticulturist, our Landscape Architecture team strategically selected and placed over 50 trees, dozens of shrubs, and nearly 100 perennials along Iroquois Drive to enhance the student experience at the Moore Student Housing Complex and screen views of the Scajaquada Expressway.