Tearing down the Skyway is more than a big, expensive road project.
Think of it as an economic development opportunity, one that could dovetail with many of the positive things that already have happened at Canalside and along the Outer Harbor.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo came to Buffalo on Tuesday to announce the winner of his contest to reimagine the Skyway, with a plan by a Rochester group to take down part of the Skyway while turning a section of the elevated highway into a "Skyway Park" that links downtown to the Outer Harbor and offers panoramic views to cyclists and pedestrians.
Who knows how much of that plan will survive the lengthy planning and environmental review process, but one of the most intriguing elements of it is how it frees up a dozen acres of land downtown – and about 100 acres along the four-mile corridor – for development.