RIP-Rochester Inner Loop East

[Alps]

These days once an expressway goes and 20 years later car traffic increases, would it be harder to reimplement a highway like this?

Or, if like in the case of cities where development has long occurred on land in old highway plans, would it be possible when eminent domain is considered?

The correct answer is that DOTs look at least 20 years out when considering potential design solutions.

[Alps]

20 years later car traffic increases

Take it to fictional highways.

No.

[empirestate]

Well, I did get my final lap on the Inner Loop during my recent 36-hour visit to Rochester. Nothing to report about it, except that there was a portable VMS announcing the closure, and a small group of barricades scattered here and there, ready to be deployed.

A couple other things I did while in town:

–Drove southbound on North Clinton Ave. in downtown, turning from Mortimer St. by the new bus terminal that turned out to have opened that very morning (Friday). Sections of both Clinton and St. Paul Streets have been converted to two-way traffic to accommodate bus traffic.

(EDIT: I also drove down St. Paul without even noticing it had changed!)

–Drove down Cortland Street, which hadn't been possible during my lifetime (and most of my parents'). It and a few other streets have been re-opened through the site of Midtown Plaza.

–Passed several times through the Access 390 project area, where new ramps to I-390 northbound have been opened from Kendrick Road and NY 15 northbound. I actually used the latter, a loop ramp elevated over the Erie Canal. The former NY 15 onramp is closed at present, and will re-open as a ramp from NY 15 southbound only.

[cl94]

I have a bunch of pictures from my trip yesterday. I'll post them as soon as I get a chance to. Got one of the 2 portable VMSes mentioned above, along with some holdout button copy from along I-490 at NY 33.

[vdeane]

You can really see the lack of coordination between Rochester and NYSDOT.  The Inner Loop just got some new signs recently at the edges of the closed portion, such as these:



Access 390:

[apete2]

Here is a link to a gallery I shot last night, RIP inner loop east

http://apeterson.smugmug.com/Life-in-Rochester-NY/Inner-Loop-East-Reconstruction/

RIP button copy sign

[Alex]

Here is a link to a gallery I shot last night, RIP inner loop east

http://apeterson.smugmug.com/Life-in-Rochester-NY/Inner-Loop-East-Reconstruction/

Great photos, thanks for sharing them!

[Pete from Boston]

The opportunity for an excellent car/bike/skate/etc racing course is really being squandered. 

[Dougtone]

Now that the Inner Loop is no longer a loop, Google Maps has updated its imagery and it looks... different.

http://www.rochestersubway.com/topics/2014/12/see-ya-later-inner-loop-hello-inner-horseshoe/#more-9660

[vdeane]

It looks REALLY WEIRD.  And sad.  Perhaps we should have an Inner Loop funeral?

[freebrickproductions]

Does anyone have any photos of the closed section after it has been closed?

[Alps]

Now that the Inner Loop is no longer a loop, Google Maps has updated its imagery and it looks... different.

http://www.rochestersubway.com/topics/2014/12/see-ya-later-inner-loop-hello-inner-horseshoe/#more-9660

You kidding me? One week later and it's already changed, and we STILL don't have the Turnpike dualized to Exit 6?

[NE2]

Other than the West Side Highway, is this the first "through" (as opposed to stub) freeway in the U.S. to be removed? (I say through very loosely, since it didn't link I-490 to any other freeways, and was only available at an alternate route eastbound.)

[ixnay]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sG6-04F35ig (counterclockwise, the direction I drove for a lap and a half in 1987)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkTH1njhBIo (clockwise)

Thank you roadwaywiz.

BTW I don't remember that twin arch bridge.  Was it built post-1987?

Also BTW I always liked those guardrails on bridges on and over the Dewey/Harriman/Rockefeller-era superhighways in NYS (and I know about Moses' influence in some of those).    So many freeways were built on Rockefeller's watch, I call them "Rocky roads".

ixnay

[Duke87]

Other than the West Side Highway, is this the first "through" (as opposed to stub) freeway in the U.S. to be removed? (I say through very loosely, since it didn't link I-490 to any other freeways, and was only available at an alternate route eastbound.)

MA 79

[NE2]

Other than the West Side Highway, is this the first "through" (as opposed to stub) freeway in the U.S. to be removed? (I say through very loosely, since it didn't link I-490 to any other freeways, and was only available at an alternate route eastbound.)

MA 79

Huh, first I'd heard of that one. It definitely seems to fit the bill, with the sole exception that westbound to northbound will remain freeway-to-freeway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkP1RiZ4Qqw#t=204

[Alps]

Half of the Robert Moses Parkway was removed, though how much you want to call it a "through freeway" or how much you want to say it's lost that status is up to you.

[adventurernumber1]

I noticed that part of the inner loop was gone on Google Maps as long as a few days ago.

Also, thinks for giving us the links to those road videos, ixnay. I've never really known what the inner loop looked like. 

[Alex]

BTW I don't remember that twin arch bridge.  Was it built post-1987?

ixnay

The arch bridge was constructed in 2005:



I taped video of the Inner Loop in 1991. Haven't been back up there since 2005.

[mrsman]

You can really see the lack of coordination between Rochester and NYSDOT.  The Inner Loop just got some new signs recently at the edges of the closed portion,

Is there a possibiltiy that the signs can be reused some how here or on other roadways?

[vdeane]

Picture of closed Inner Loop: https://www.facebook.com/rocsubway/photos/a.282378736568.139929.251790736568/10152520477701569/?type=1&theater

[Duke87]

MA 79

Huh, first I'd heard of that one. It definitely seems to fit the bill, with the sole exception that westbound to northbound will remain freeway-to-freeway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkP1RiZ4Qqw#t=204

Now that I did not know. I knew they were removing the entire viaduct, but I thought it was all being replaced with arterial, not half of it with arterial and half with ground level freeway.

But it's a lot more sensible the way they're doing it. Even if that viaduct was incredibly badass it was basically Fall River's Embarcadero.

[vdeane]

Does anyone have a map of the plans?  I have a hard time conceiving of what a half-freeway, half-boulevard road would look like, and the animation is rather small.  As best I can tell, it appears they are constructing a breezewood.

[NE2]

Does anyone have a map of the plans?  I have a hard time conceiving of what a half-freeway, half-boulevard road would look like, and the animation is rather small.

The animation is 1280x720...

Essentially the freeway ends north of the double-decker. The only reason the westbound to northbound ramp is freeway-to-freeway is that there's a railroad to the east.

[froggie]

Other than the West Side Highway, is this the first "through" (as opposed to stub) freeway in the U.S. to be removed? (I say through very loosely, since it didn't link I-490 to any other freeways, and was only available at an alternate route eastbound.)

Harbor Dr in Portland, OR (former US 99W).