The Inner Loop East Transformation Project converted a sunken section of expressway to the east of Downtown to an at-grade "complete street," that will include bicycle and walking paths. The construction of Union Street was completed in December of 2017, with on going additional construction anticipated associated with new development in this area.
Project Milestones
- S Union Street has been transformed to Two Way Traffic between Monroe Ave. and University Ave.
- The new signal lights on Union St at Monroe Ave, at Howell St, at Broad St., and at East Ave have been activated. Howell St will remain “one-way” northbound between Monroe Ave and S. Union St. Pitkin St will remain “one-way” southbound between E. Main St and East Ave. Pitkin St will be closed permanently from East Ave to Savannah St.
- Pitkin St will remain open one-way southbound from E Main Street to Charlotte Street. Pitkin Street will be closed between charlotte Street to East Ave, from March 1, through mid-April 2018.
- East Ave, E Broad St and Monroe Ave have been reconstructed as an at-grade streets, which eliminated three bridges over the former Inner Loop. Learn More>>
- Mayor Lovely A. Warren hosted Federal, State, Local Representatives at Inner Loop First Fill Ceremony on Nov. 14, 2014. Learn more >>
- Charlotte St, which has been divided by the Inner Loop since 1964, has been reconstructed and now extends from Alexander St to Scio St Learn more >>
- Savannah St has been extended across the former Inner loop connecting to the new S Union St.
Tomorrow's Inner Loop
| Architectural Renderings |
 |
| East Avenue and Union Street |
 |
Broad and Union Street
|
In order to encourage sustainable economic growth and create a more livable Downtown, Rochester is in the process of reconstructing a 2/3 mile stretch of the eastern segment of the Inner Loop between Monroe Ave and Charlotte St into a high quality complete city street.
The new at-grade street will tremendously enhance the area's livability, allowing people to easily walk and bicycle between neighborhoods and Downtown.
View historical images from the roadway construction portion of the project using the project's webcam.
Development Opportunities
In addition to the clear livability benefits, the developable land surrounding the loop will be transformed into a mixed use community that would provide Rochesterians and visitors with places to work, live and play. The City has received many letters of support from the community including real estate developers, neighborhood groups and business associations.
Project Benefits
Reconstructing the Inner Loop East from an expressway to a complete street will produce a myriad of benefits, including:
- Increasing Traffic Safety: The project will eliminate multiple, non-standard features and three federal-aid bridges, two of which are structurally deficient and in need of major rehabilitation.
- Supporting Healthy Lifestyles and Improving Livability: By providing a boulevard with wide sidewalks and dedicated bicycle facilities while leveraging mixed-use infill development, the project encourages bicycle and pedestrian activity, helping to create a more livable and sustainable community.
- Reconnecting Neighborhoods with Downtown: It will remove a significant barrier to redevelopment in the East End, one of Rochester’s most important downtown districts, and reconnect thriving east side neighborhoods with the downtown area.
- Promoting Development: Completion of this project is expected to open roughly six acres of land to mixed-use redevelopment, which could leverage an additional 430,000 to 800,000 square feet of commercial and residential space. Reclaiming this land will raise local tax revenues, create jobs and generate private investment. The Benefit-Cost ratio of this project is conservatively estimated to be between 1.9 and 2.2.
- Saving Money: Maintenance of this portion of the Inner Loop would exceed the cost of filling the loop in and creating an at-grade street, while providing none of the benefits listed above.
- To learn more about all of the benefits along with details on the project, check out the Final Design Report:
Funding Sources
- Total: $20,995,036
- Federal (TIGER): $16,781,036
- State Match: $3,800,000
- City Match: $414,000
Public Participation in Construction phase
- A public informational meeting, to present the construction implementation plan, was held on Thursday, Oct 9th, at 6pm in the Kate Gleason Auditorium, at the Bausch & Lomb Public Library.
- A public informational meeting to present final design plans was held on Tuesday, May 6, 2014 at the Lodge at Martin Luther King Park.
- A public informational meeting and Public Hearing was held on Tuesday, February 4, 2014 at the Kate Gleason Auditorium in the Bausch & Lomb Public Library Building.
- The City hosted a pair of public open houses on November 6, 2013 to present and obtain feedback on refined design alternatives prior to completion of Preliminary Design.
- A Public informational meeting was held on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 at Rochester City Council Chambers.
Project Schedule
November, 2014 to December, 2017
Closure Dates
- Inner Loop East - December, 2014 (permanent)
- Broad Street Bridge - March 25, 2015 (Completed -replaced with at-grade street)
- East Avenue Bridge - Tenatative, Spring 2016 (detour to Broad and Charlotte Streets)
- Monroe Avenue Bridge - Tentative: Spring, 2016
Construction Phasing (2014-2017)
- Phase 1A - Fill in Inner Loop, build west side of Union Street
- Phase 1B - Build east sdie of Union Street
- Phase 2 - Build abandoned Pitkin Street
- Phase 3 - Build Monroe Avenue/Chestnut Street
Project Team
Learn More
- or Mr. Erik Frisch, Manger of Special Projects at 428-6709.