The Niagara Falls City Council voted to approve the North End Triangle asphalt-art traffic-safety installation, a project the city said is fully funded by a Bloomberg Philanthropies grant and aimed at reducing crashes at a high-injury intersection.

Saladin Allah, speaking in support, told the council the project targets the Main Street and Portage Road intersection and is backed by collision data, a city “high injury” map and more than 50 hours of field observations over three months. He said the project would not cost city taxpayers because it is fully grant-funded: “it is fully funded by a competitive Bloomberg Philanthropies grant. So it does not cost the city or taxpayers 1 dime.”

Allah and other supporters emphasized pedestrian-safety elements, including a pedestrian island designed to allow people to cross in stages; Allah warned that removing the island would undermine the safety purpose for people with mobility limitations and said city departments reviewed the design. He added that anchor institutions had submitted letters in support.

Council members amended the resolution to clarify that the installation is approved by and coordinated with the Department of Public Works and the engineering division; the council then approved the amended resolution by roll call.

Multiple council members and attendees noted concerns about how the project had been presented to the public — one speaker said project images were not visible during earlier presentation — and urged continued coordination with nearby residents and institutions during installation and outreach.

With the grant funding in place and council approval obtained, the city will move to coordinate installation through public works and engineering and continue community outreach during construction.