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The Unfinished Outer Loop Finally Gets Finished The story of the Outer Loop and the Genesee Expressway (I-390) By Howard Ressel, NYSDOT Retired Disclaimer: This historical account is based on personal recollection by the author and discussions with others who were around at the time. It is not based on exhaustive research, so there may be some inaccuracies. The article was written for those who may not recall or were not around when this major corridor (I-390) developed.
Unless you grew up in Rochester in the 60’s and 70’s you might take our Outer Loop system for granted. It gets you just about anywhere in the area in about 20 minutes with relatively little congestion. You can get from Greece to Henrietta to Webster with convenient connections just about anywhere in the City. Did you know originally Mt. Read Boulevard was envisioned to be the western link of the Outer Loop? At one time however, there was a very significant missing link in the freeway system planned for Rochester in the late 40s and early 50s. The Outer Loop was known at the time as NY Route 47. The route was finished and open in stages, sometimes with temporary ramps. The segment between Allen’s Creek (north of Monroe Avenue) and the Can of Worms was completed in 1964. By 1968 it had been extended further south to Winton Road. I vaguely recall having to exit at Monroe Avenue and then using Edgewood Avenue to get from my grandparents’ apartment and other places in the City to Henrietta where I lived (I was six at the time). There was another segment of NY47, oddly not directly connected to this first segment. The west side first segment opened in 1966 and ran from Scottsville Road (NY 386) north to I-490. The two parts were branded NY Route 47 and connected via a little known, not well signed, touring route (not maintained by the NYDPW the predecessor to NYSDOT). This connection was made via Elmwood Avenue west to Scottsville Road back to NY 47 south of the Canal. According to the record plans at the time, directions on the signs were pure cardinal, not route related. In other words, some segments of 47 said north/south while the segment near Winton was labeled 47E/W. The Outer Loop past Elmwood was not signed as NY47 at all other than an onramp sign to W 47 at Monroe Avenue. 12 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER DECEMBER 2021
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