Western New York's Transit Road — the north-south spine connecting the Erie County suburbs to the City of Lockport, Niagara County's seat — is entering a significant infrastructure rehabilitation cycle this construction season. New York State Department of Transportation is managing two separate but complementary projects totaling $13.27 million, targeting different segments and scopes of work on State Route 78 from the Lockport city line to the Erie-Niagara county border.

Project 1: The $8.92 Million Corridor Rehabilitation

On April 26, 2026, Governor Hochul announced that construction is beginning on an $8.92 million rehabilitation of Transit Road (State Route 78) from the Lockport South City Line to the Niagara County Line, in the towns of Lockport and Pendleton, with a section extending into the towns of Clarence and East Amherst in Erie County. Expected completion: end of 2026.

The scope of work includes:

• Full milling and resurfacing of the roadway
• New pavement markings and replacement of corridor signs as needed
• Drainage repairs and replacement — culvert replacements along the corridor
• Pedestrian facility enhancements — including reconstruction of sidewalk and a new ADA-compliant curb ramp on the eastern side of Transit Road in front of the City of Lockport's Children's Memorial Park, between Lincoln Avenue and Lincoln Drive

To minimize disruption, culvert replacements and paving operations will be conducted at night, with two-way traffic maintained throughout. Recent pothole patching has already been completed to maintain ride quality ahead of the full resurfacing. The announcement came as part of a broader $30 million-plus NYSDOT upstate construction package that also includes three bridge replacements on U.S. Route 11 in Franklin County ($10 million) and I-81 resurfacing in Onondaga County ($11.2 million).

Project 2: The $4.35 Million Lockport Road Diet and Signal Upgrade

A complementary project — $4.35 million for rehabilitation of Transit Road and State Route 31 in the City of Lockport — is set to begin later in summer 2026, with an expected completion date in 2027. This project focuses on the urban section within Lockport and includes a road diet on NY Routes 78 and 31 (reducing travel lanes to add a center turn lane and improve pedestrian safety), new coordinated traffic signals, left turn lane construction on High Street at the Transit Road intersection, and comprehensive ADA curb ramp and crosswalk upgrades.

Cold Spring Construction Company, based in Akron, New York, is soliciting subcontractors for NYSDOT contract D265787 covering the Route 78 and 31 work in the City and Town of Lockport, with a letting date of May 7, 2026. The contract is scheduled for completion by July 31, 2027. A public information meeting was held in June 2025 to review the proposed scope with Lockport residents.

Why Transit Road Matters to WNY Contractors

Transit Road is among the highest-traffic corridors in Niagara County — a two-county artery serving Erie County suburban commuters, Lockport industrial workers, and freight traffic accessing the region's manufacturing base. The road's condition directly affects access to businesses along Niagara Street in Lockport and to the industrial north end of the corridor toward Newfane.

For paving contractors, the nighttime-work requirement on this project is significant. Night paving on an active arterial involves crew scheduling, lighting, traffic control equipment, and a compressed production window that adds both cost and operational complexity. Firms bidding on night-paving subcontract work should confirm their capacity to operate continuous shifts and to comply with NYSDOT's temporary traffic control requirements for lane closures on this classification of road.

The road diet element in Lockport — a well-established traffic safety intervention that converts a four- or five-lane road to a three-lane configuration with a center turn lane — also adds geometric reconstruction work to what would otherwise be a straightforward mill-and-overlay. Contractors performing the Lockport segment should expect utility conflicts and ADA reconstruction requirements on a section of road with established commercial frontage.

The Broader NYSDOT 2026 WNY Construction Picture

The Transit Road package is part of New York State's most ambitious road resurfacing initiative in DOT history. Governor Hochul has committed more than $34 billion over five years to DOT infrastructure, with an additional $800 million added in October 2025 to fund 180 additional road paving projects statewide. In Western New York specifically, 24 paving projects are scheduled for 2026, covering 310 miles at a cost of just over $49 million.

That regionwide program, combined with Erie County's separately announced $50 million road and bridge program, means that paving and civil contractors working in the Buffalo-Niagara market face an exceptionally busy 2026 construction season. The combination of state DOT work, county work, and city-level projects creates both an opportunity for volume and a constraint on labor and equipment availability.

Implications for Owners, Developers, and Subcontractors

For property owners and businesses along the Transit Road corridor, the multi-year rehabilitation sequence carries access implications. The nighttime work schedule on the first project mitigates daytime business disruption, but the Lockport road diet and signal replacement project — scheduled to begin this summer and run into 2027 — will involve more intrusive construction in the commercial core of the city. Businesses should monitor project updates and coordinate with NYSDOT's project team on access and temporary detour arrangements.

Subcontractors looking for work under Cold Spring Construction's D265787 contract should contact Brett Bottone, VP Engineering, at 716-542-2011. Full plans and specifications are available from NYSDOT's project documents website.

What to Watch Next

• The $8.92 million corridor project is underway; completion targeted by end of 2026.
• Cold Spring Construction's NYSDOT contract letting date was May 7, 2026; mobilization on the Lockport city project expected summer 2026.
• The Lockport project ($4.35M) runs through July 31, 2027, meaning Transit Road will see continuous construction activity across two full construction seasons.
• Watch for additional NYSDOT 2026 awards in Niagara County as the state's 24-project WNY paving schedule advances through summer and fall.

Bottom Line

Transit Road's $13.3 million rehabilitation represents one of the most significant state transportation investments in Niagara County this decade, addressing pavement, drainage, pedestrian access, and traffic geometry along a corridor that has been underfunded relative to its use. For paving contractors, civil subcontractors, and traffic control firms in the WNY market, the multi-season scope and night-work requirements make this a significant 2026-2027 pipeline opportunity.

Sources

• Governor's Office — $30M+ Highway Projects Announcement, April 26, 2026
• EIN Presswire — Transit Road Rehabilitation Details, April 26, 2026
• HigherGov — Cold Spring Construction NYSDOT D265787 Subcontract Opportunity, April 17, 2026
• City of Lockport — NYSDOT Public Information Meeting Notice, June 2025
• WXXI News — NYSDOT Five-Year Plan Funding Boost, October 2025
• Erie County DPW — 2026 Road and Bridge Program, April 17, 2026