Bergmann - Back to the Future: Turning a Highway Back into a Neighborhood

Back to the Future: Turning a Highway Back into a Neighborhood

A conceptual rendering of the restoration of the Franklin Square green space. (Source: Bergmann)

As our highway infrastructure across the nation is reaching the end of its lifecycle, some cities are faced with having to choose whether to rebuild them or reconceptualize them. Either way, now is the time to decide. Wait, what? Reimagining a modern-day city is an option?

A growing number of cities, like Rochester, NY, are choosing to rethink their roadway systems by turning highways back into block configurations that support and connect neighborhoods--like they used to. In fact, according to The Congress for the New Urbanism, a group that tracks highway removals, in 2021, they counted “33 proposed projects in 28 American cities.” This is going to take a lot more than just moving streets.

The first phase of Rochester’s Inner Loop transformation, Inner Loop East, has already been completed. Now, a multi-disciplinary team from Bergmann – including transportation engineers, urban planners and landscape architects - have been working closely with the City of Rochester and its residents to develop a comprehensive strategy for how to approach the next phase deconstruction—Inner Loop North.

Here’s how it happened

The 1930s profile of downtown Rochester looked a lot different than it does now. The roadway system focused on connecting neighborhoods in a typical city grid pattern. But by the 1950s, with the “car in every garage” mentality, people began traveling outside the city to live in surrounding suburban communities, while commuting into the City downtown to work.

This gave way to highway design that focused on getting commuters to and from downtown destinations as quickly as possible, while reshaping downtown infrastructure. More specifically, Rochester fell victim to the inner loop highway trend that, while it allowed for expedited travel times, also cut-off its downtown from surrounding neighborhoods.

In 1965 the construction of the Inner Loop was completed. Not only did it leave the City surrounded by a concrete trench that separated the downtown from established neighborhoods, it tore at the very fabric of these established communities. Most significantly, construction of the Inner Loop expressway resulted in the razing of houses, churches, offices, public buildings, parks and hotels - all in the name of expediting vehicular traffic. The construction of the Inner Loop Expressway disproportionately impacted black and brown communities in the City, causing significant displacement and limiting accessibility to downtown businesses.

Begin the Beguine

According to The New York Times, “…Federal and state funds have historically gone to building highways, not removing them. But in 2013, the City of Rochester, in upstate New York, won a nearly $18 million grant from the Obama administration that allowed it to take out an eastern segment of its sunken Inner Loop freeway, known locally as “the moat.”

A view of the Inner Loop North corridor looking west toward St. Paul Street.

Source: Bergmann

An aerial view of the Inner Loop North corridor at North Clinton and Joseph Avenues.

Source: Bergmann

The Inner Loop East highway section, which was due for major upgrades, would cost less money to remove than to repair. Having less traffic and residences, it was an ideal segment to begin the transition. Preceded by an in-depth planning study, the Inner Loop East project spanned over twenty years and has resulted in significant opportunity for City residents with new housing, commercial space and multi-modal infrastructure focused on creating safe and welcoming pedestrian and bicycle environments.

Inner Loop North

Following the successful completion of the Inner Loop East Project, the City of Rochester advanced the Inner Loop North Transformation Study with Bergmann in the lead. The initial design phase evaluated various design concepts to reimagine the existing highway infrastructure and replace it with a more traditional city grid street orientation. As noted in the study, the Inner Loop North segment comes with its own challenges including higher traffic volumes. However, the benefits of removing the sunken expressway – including reconnecting neighborhoods, fostering economic prosperity, accessibility enhancements and new development opportunities - greatly outweigh any traffic mitigation impacts.

Supporting the City’s master plan for greater connectivity and accessibility, Bergmann and its team of associated subconsultants, led the creation of the Inner Loop North Transformation Study, which included urban planning and design, community and stakeholder engagement, transportation engineering and roadway design services.

In 2020, the project team advanced the existing conditions analysis, including baseline data collection related to highway conditions, infrastructure and traffic and assessed demographic and market conditions to understand how these factors contribute to the viability of the surrounding neighborhoods. Despite much of the work occurring during the pandemic, the team effectively engaged a wide range of stakeholders and community members through virtual meetings, socially distanced walking tours and online platforms.

In 2021, the team presented conceptual design options for the corridor, evaluating available options to deliver on the public’s vision and City’s goals. Based on community and City feedback, a preferred alternative was selected. The concept - referred to as “City Grid Restoration” - is a roughly $100M plan that achieves the following:

• Removal and filling-in of the remaining high-speed expressway

• Establishment of a lower speed, two-lane urban arterial street with signalized intersections and several new city street linkages

• Continuous cycle track and sidewalks, pedestrian nodes and narrowed crossings created by shorter blocks

• New and re-established green spaces

• Roughly 25 acres of developable land to reestablish parks and green spaces and provide acres for future development to facilitate home ownership and entrepreneurial opportunities

Conclusion

The Inner Loop North Transformation Study was completed in Spring 2022, with the next phase of preliminary and detailed design anticipated to begin in late 2022 / early 2023. This major urban revitalization project supports Rochester’s vision for greater community connectivity, accessibility and community development by addressing the current needs of the residents and rebuilding the neighborhood structure to fit modern day living. From improving quality of life by reducing carbon emissions to creating a more accessible and pedestrian-centric design that encourages downtown commerce, Rochester will have its third and best opportunity to succeed. q

Learn more at:

https://www.innerloopnorth.com

https://rochistory.wordpress.com/2019/03/27/out-of-the-loop-pt-5-a-before-and-after-look-at-the-neighborhoods-ofthe-inner-loop/