BUFFALO, N.Y. — Western New York leaders continue to talk up the importance of moving forward with a project to cover part of Buffalo's Kensington Expressway that has contributed to disconnecting the East Side to other parts of the city.

On Monday, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand voiced her support and confidence in the project.

She also discussed her "Build Local, Hire Local" program which is intended to make sure people from disadvantaged and underrepresented communities get construction jobs for these projects supported by the federal infrastructure bill.

Gillibrand says even though New York doesn't have a committee to work on prioritizing and securing funding for these projects, like some other states, it is in good shape to get the resources.

"I think we're well-positioned to get this money," said Gillibrand. "You don't need a committee. Also, our state is so diverse, every region is going to have different priorities anyway so it's better to leave it to the local representatives and the local advocates."

However, a member of the Restore Our Community Coalition, which has been pushing for the Kensington project for years, did express some frustration that the New York State Department of Transportation is moving slowly on conducting an environmental impact study which will be necessary to get the federal money.