News Release - Construction on Midtown Rochester Rising Infrastructure to Begin Monday

City of Rochester

News Release

(Friday, June 1, 2012) – Mayor Thomas S. Richards announced today that the first phase of construction on the Midtown Rochester Rising project will begin Monday, June 4.

View time-lapse video of the Midtown Project as seen from our webcam

“After more than five years of design and demolition, it is extremely gratifying to see this project move into the construction phase,” said Mayor Richards. “I look forward to watching this development site take shape over the next several months.”

The construction project will create the streets and infrastructure necessary to support redevelopment on the 8.6-acre former Midtown Plaza site. This work will reconstruct the Midtown section of the underground service tunnel on the site.

Crane-Hogan Structural Systems, Inc. will be undertaking this $5.9 million phase of the Midtown redevelopment. This phase of the project is being funded with grants from Empire State Development and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, along with City funds. Crane Hogan and its subcontractors will employ up to 50 workers during this phase, which is expected to be complete in March.

The Midtown site contains the entrance to the Service Tunnel, currently entered from the Main Street site entrance. The service tunnel provides underground vehicular access to businesses and entities west of the Midtown site which includes the Chase Tower, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Rochester Riverside Convention Center and other business.

This project also consists of the reconstruction of the Midtown section of the below grade service tunnel from Atlas Street to the east wall of the former Seneca Building, in addition to repairs and rehabilitation of various elements of the existing service tunnel below the former Seneca Building, the Chase Tower and Stone Street.

The Pike Construction Co. has also begun construction on the former Seneca Building, which is expected to be occupied by Windstream in August 2013.

Subsequent phases of the Midtown Rochester Rising Project include work on the underground parking garage and street and utility upgrades to begin after July 1. Work on the open space and landscaping is set for summer 2013.

All construction is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2013.

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News Media: For more information, contact Paul Holahan, at 428-6855.