The Unfinished Outer Loop Finally Gets Finished (cover)

The Unfinished Outer Loop Finally Gets Finished

The story of the Outer Loop and the Genesee Expressway (I-390)

By Howard Ressel, NYSDOT Retired

Headline Photo credit: Erdman Anthony

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.

I-390 through Genesee Valley Park.

Erdman Anthony

So why was a very big segment of the Outer Loop left unfinished? I wondered that myself growing up. My parents would drive us on NY 47 at least once a week to visit my grandparents, go to the store my father worked at off Hudson Avenue or go downtown. We often had to take Jefferson Road to Scottsville Road to 47 N for a short hop to Brooks Avenue to get to the airport. I’d always ask "when are they are going to finish the expressway?" The answer was always who knows, or someday. I suppose my curiosity on the topic is one of the things that drove me to love roads and led to my eventual career as a NYSDOT Highway Engineer.

The answer is that the alignment of the Outer Loop through Brighton was intended to parallel the Barge Canal (now called the Erie Canal). To do so and tie into NY 47 at Scottsville Road would require construction of a bridge over the Genesee River and an at-grade limited access freeway through Genesee Valley Park. As the Interstate System was developed many advocacy groups sprouted up and started questioning transportation agency decisions across the nation. Rochester was not immune to this movement. There was little if any public involvement in those days. Major alignment decisions were made by urban planners, engineers, and politicians with little input from the public. Most of our system was actually laid out in 19471. With all their best intentions to provide a safe and efficient transportation system there was no such thing as context sensitive design and environmental justice. Environmental groups were realizing that agencies were not fully considering impacts to the environment for highway and other large public works projects. This evolved into the passage of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA in 1970) and lead to a major change in how we develop, review, and analyze highway projects. State environmental laws followed soon after.

Public involvement in those days was more reactive than proactive. As community leaders in the City and environmental activists learned about plans to build though Genesee Valley Park (GVP) major objections and concerns were brought to the table. Concerns included environmental damage to the park, impacts to the Barge Canal, and impacts to the historic nature of the park which was designed by the firm of Fredrick Law Olmsted. In addition, GVP was a City owned and maintained park (later to become part of the Monroe County Park system). It was felt by opponents of the project that the new freeway would cut-off access to the park to City residents many of whom were disadvantaged and did not have good access to parks and recreation (early environmental justice). An Environmental Impact Statement was prepared in accordance with the new NEPA laws. The process led to the study of numerous alternatives as demanded by those who objected to the project, and to avoid the park and minimize impacts, these included a bypass around the southern end of the park and consideration for a tunnel under the park. The alternative favored by the NYSDOT was a viaduct structure over the park. This would minimize damage and allow full access to the southern portions of the park. Designs were prepared and Erdman Anthony (later designer of the Douglass-Anthony Bridge - no relation) developed designs for a new type of structure, a post tensioned concrete bridge with cantilevered segmental construction. This was a unique type of structure at the time and none had been built anywhere in the US. If things had gone as planned it would have been the first structure of its type.

ASCE Award Presentation.

Erdman Anthony

Things however did not go according to plan. The environmental groups were not satisfied with the State’s analysis and development of alternatives. There were lawsuits, petition drives and lobbying to attempt to change the design and avoid impacts to the park. Ultimately, the State succeeded and received design approval from FHWA. The original bridge concept survived; however, several other projects leap frogged us and Rochester was no longer in the lead to build the first bridge of that type. We can all agree, however, the current I-390 Bridge over the Genesee River (the twin bridges) is a very aesthetically pleasing bridge, award winning as well (all it needs now is a better name).

The development of the Genesee Expressway also influenced the construction of the final segment of the Outer Loop. Plans had long been developed for a north-south interstate to connect the southern tier with downtown Rochester. This new expressway was to push north with a full interchange with the Outer Loop then continue parallel to Clinton Avenue and end at I-490 near downtown Rochester. This scheme was incorporated into the design of the I-490/Inner Loop/Troop Howell Bridge project in the 70s. This project converted I-490 to a limited access facility and reconstructed the western half of the Inner Loop moving it off Plymouth Avenue to a new alignment as we know today. It was the beginning of the construction of I-490 west or the western Thruway Connection. When the new interchange was built, ramps were constructed from South Avenue to connect with I-490 and eventually the new Genesee Expressway. Temporarily both ramps connected to I-490 that still exist today. This explains why there are two ways to get to I-490 eastbound from South Avenue.

The last major segments of Interstate to be built in Rochester proved more difficult and challenging than previous segments. The western thruway connection and the Genesee Expressway would require significant right-of-way acquisition. There were opponents to both segments and supporters as well. For reasons too complex to address in this article, I-490 was eventually constructed though Dutchtown on the west side eliminating hundreds of homes and businesses. By the time planning began in earnest for the Genesee Expressway’s northern terminus the impacted neighborhoods had had enough.

The story came to a head in 1982 and a four-year struggle over the Genesee Expressway ensued. The planning of a new 3.2 mile stretch of expressway, to cost $34 million connecting the Outer Loop to the Inner Loop, triggered a bitter fight. This new expressway would have demolished 250 homes and 23 businesses in southeast Rochester. The South East Area Coalition (SEAC) was formed with one of its goals to stop the Genesee Expressway. The Coalition included many other local organizations that claimed to have a combined membership of 100,000, quite a formidable opposition. There were, however, supporters including the Rochester Chamber of Commerce, several downtown business leaders and the NYSDOT who insisted that the old roads would not accommodate future traffic loads. City Council, based on the pressure, requested that state transportation officials suspend ongoing demolitions and review the merits of the expressway once again. Their objections were based on the significant environmental consequences. The state agreed and after a year and a half delay, the Genesee Expressway Task Force voted 9-8 to kill the proposed expressway. After some debate City Council agreed and in February 1973 Council voted to halt the expressway. Mayor Stephen May was quoted as saying “This is a recognition that we are being overwhelmed by the automobile, the day of mass transit is here”. One result of this was the urging by the city to create a mass transit corridor linking Charlotte and the new community of Riverton in Henrietta (which obviously never happened).

Supporters of the Genesee Expressway did not take the decision lightly and urged the Governor, Hugh Carey, to intervene. The Chamber and proexpressway supporters worked to convince several City Council members to change their mind. A series of hearings and meetings were held where hundreds of opponents re-mobilized to express their concern and urge City Council not to revive the Genesee Expressway. Finally, Council voted once again to kill the expressway for good with a 6-3 vote at 3 AM on September 17, 1975. Christopher Lindley cast the deciding vote.

The 390/590 interchange looking south.

Peter Burke, L3Harris Technologies Inc.

After years of neglecting their homes due to pending construction, having the State acquire and remove properties along S. Clinton Avenue in Brighton (now today’s Persimmon Park) and the City, the end came. The State was faced with a new problem, how and where to end the Genesee Expressway. The DEIS for the Genesee Expressway in 1974 ended the expressway at its current terminus but continued a new arterial north parallel to South Clinton Avenue merging into South Clinton to provide direct access to downtown via city streets. This plan was not acceptable to the City, however, leading to a new design that terminated the Genesee Expressway at the Outer Loop. Fortunately, the Swillburg and the South Wedge neighbors survived, recovered, and are now thriving urban neighborhoods today.

With the issue of the Genesee Expressway settled and all the lawsuits resolved for the Outer Loop, final designs could begin. These included a new three level interchange at the new terminus of the Genesee Expressway. The major route to downtown would be the new Genesee Expressway to the old NY 47 alignment to I-490. This was rebranded I-590. The new Genesee Expressway already branded I-390 would continue up the west side to the previously completed interchange at I-490 eventually to terminate at the Lake Ontario State Parkway (note the Interstate designation stops at I-490 due to interstate naming conventions and Federal rules).

So next time you drive on our amazing and convenient freeway system, you will remember how it came to be. Just remember they really are freeways.

A few notes on the story:

● The area today in Henrietta known as Riverton was originally a planned city, one of thirteen such new communities sponsored by HUD. The project was to have a population of 25,000 and a rapid transit line running on the old Lehigh Valley RR to downtown Rochester. Why is this relevant to the story? Well a bridge was included over I-390 to carry the old LVRR and a possible rapid transit line. The bridges (the RR bridge and the adjacent pedestrian bridge) provided a wider cross section under the bridge. Record plans show a pull off area on I-390 under the bridge. This was likely designed to be a drop and ride spot for busses accessing the rapid transit line that was to be built overhead. The Riverton to Charlotte LRT sadly was never built.

● I have a personal connection to the completion of I-390 though the park. I grew up in Henrietta and being a road geek from an early age with a career set on Civil Engineering I had quite the interest in the project. When I was seventeen, I was downtown at Main Street and Clinton Avenue waiting for a bus when a gentleman approached me and asked me to sign a petition against the Outer Loop tough GVP. He started spewing all sorts of facts and information, unfortunately he did not realize he was talking to an amateur expert on the topic. I had a response for every point he made. I am not sure if I changed his mind or not, but he sulked away without my signature on his petition.

● Much of the information on the Construction of the Genesee Expressway in the City of Rochester is from a book by Lou Buttino and Mark Hare: The Remaking of a City: Rochester, New York 1964-1984 published by Kendall/Hunt.

● In case you are really interested you can review the 1974 EIS. Email us to get the link.

If you have any comments or corrections feel free to email me at: ressel@frontiernet.net.

1 Urban Area Report, Rochester, Department of Public Works, 1947 q

Mr. Ressel spent 37 years as a Project Design Engineer with New York State Department of Transportation. He currently works part time for Popli Design Group. He is a Licensed Professional Engineer and received a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the State University of NY at Buffalo (1984). Most notable of his projects were the I-490 Western Gateway including the Douglass-Anthony Bridge, and the Access390 project, I-390 improvements from the River to the Canal.

Mr. Ressel has served on various NYSDOT committees and special projects. He also has participated on review panels for several national cooperative highway research projects run by the Transportation Research Board. He also serves as a member of the IEEE Coordinating Committee SCC14 and SI10 (metric standards). He is also a member of the New York State Association of Transportation Engineers and served as section President for 14 years. He currently serves as the liaison from NYSATE to the RES Board.

Howard is a resident of the City of Rochester and is married with three Children and three (soon to be four) grandchildren.