New travel plaza along Niagara Falls Boulevard planned

Rob Creenan, Niagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
·2 min read

Feb. 2—As a Quicklee's travel center is under construction on Porter Road, another truck rest stop is in the works along the I-190 within the City of Niagara Falls' borders.

Called Catherine's Travel Plaza, this new development will be owned by Carl Hasselback, the owner of Jim's Truck Plaza by the Walden Galleria in Cheektowaga. Lewiston-based Advanced Design Group will be helping with design and construction.

Kristen Savard, the president of Advanced Design Group, explained during the Niagara County Planning Board's January meeting that Hasselback had purchased two neighboring parcels, at 6200 and 6390 Niagara Falls Boulevard, looking to combine them. One of the properties is a former industrial site currently part of a brownfield cleanup program, which had started before Hasselback purchased the properties.

The travel plaza would have a gas station, a building housing a convenience store and showers for truckers, a restaurant, and a space on the rear of the property where tractor trailers, buses, campers, and other large vehicles can park and access the rear of the building. There would be two separate buildings on the property because some of the national restaurant chains Savard has spoken to would prefer their own freestanding building.

While conducting a traffic study for the property, Savard said they crossed paths with the State Department of Transportation which is planning to redesign the nearby intersection of Connecting Road going onto the I-190. It is planned to happen within the next five years and may result in the DOT taking the property.

"We were bouncing back and forth with the DOT as to whether we really had a project or not," Savard said.

There is also a State Environmental Quality Review process happening for the site with the City of Niagara Falls will be identified as the lead agent for the process.

Savard said the operation would be similar to the under-construction Quicklee's or any Love's Travel Stop, being a stopover and a destination for people coming into the area.

County planners raised concerns about potential traffic situations arising from large tractor-trailers getting off the I-190 to get to this travel center. Director of Planning for Niagara Falls Kevin Forma said that while the Department of Transportation has several ideas for the site, they do not have a consultant for the project at this point in time. He also wants to have further conservations with Savard, the DOT, and the Greater Buffalo Niagara Regional Transportation Council.

The Niagara County Planning Board unanimously approved a site plan review at its meeting.