Letter to The Honorable Raymond LaHood, Secretary United States Department of Transportation
Press Release
Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer urged the Department of Transportation to select the City of Rochester's application for a $15 million TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) Discretionary Grant, for the City's Inner Loop East Reconstruction Project. The Inner Loop Expressway is an underutilized and deteriorated highway that isolates Rochester's downtown from the rest of the City and its vibrant neighborhoods nearby, which creates an impediment to economic activity and business development in the area. This project would remove this obstructive, 12 lane wide section of the Inner Loop Expressway, and replace it with a new, high quality city boulevard. Schumer, standing near the Inner Loop on North Union Street, vowed to push for the City's application, as the project would reconnect downtown with the rest of Rochester, and set the stage for business development, job creation and economic growth. Schumer noted that city officials have told him that the Inner Loop project would create or retain over 300 jobs initially and up to 3,680 jobs at full build-out, create nine acres of land for further development, and produce as much as $6.86 million annually in new property taxes.
"For decades, the Inner Loop has acted like a concrete moat around downtown Rochester, keeping businesses, residents, shoppers and investments alike out of the downtown -- and that has to stop," said Schumer."The City of Rochester has put together an incredibly well-developed plan to remove that obstacle to growth and economic development, and I am urging the Department of Transportation to accept the City's application for this TIGER grant. With this funding, the City of Rochester will remove the underutilized and deteriorating Inner Loop Expressway and replace it with a boulevard, which will reconnect the downtown with the rest of the City, pave the way for increased economic development and activity in downtown Rochester, and create thousands of jobs at the project's full roll-out."
Standing with Rochester Mayor Tom Richards, The Strong Museum President & CEO Rollie Adams, and local business association leaders, Schumer announced his support for the City of Rochester's Inner Loop East Reconstruction Project and urged the Department of Transportation to select the City for funding through its TIGER Discretionary Grants program for the project.
"I want to thank Senator Schumer for supporting our application for this federal grant, which will help us restore the connection between our Southeastern neighborhoods and downtown Rochester," said Mayor Thomas S. Richards. "We are fortunate to have an advocate in Washington who recognizes how a project like this creates economic prosperity by improving the quality of life for our citizens. Replacing this section of the Inner Loop with an at-grade boulevard helps us build a city that encourages walking and biking and enjoying the outdoor environment."
The City is submitting its application for a $15 million TIGER grant this week and, if awarded, this investment would remove a deteriorated and underutilized section of the Inner Loop Expressway and replace it with a new, high quality, at-grade city street to spur economic development. This project will reconnect neighborhoods like the Upper East End and Monroe Village to Rochester's downtown, develop infrastructure better suited for private sector investment, and create more than nine acres of land for redevelopment. Without the TIGER investment, the Inner Loop East Reconstruction Project would have to be put on hold indefinitely.
The City of Rochester's Inner Loop East Reconstruction Project would remove a section of the City's below-grade downtown highway, called the Inner Loop Expressway. The Inner Loop Expressway was built in the 1960s, and due to its placement and width has created a major division between downtown Rochester and the rest of the City, and has also broken up neighborhoods in the area. In addition, the southeast part of the Inner Loop Expressway is extremely underutilized, and it is abundantly clear that removal of this section of the Inner Loop will not impair vehicle traffic in this area. As is, the Inner Loop serves as a physical and psychological barrier to Rochester's downtown, impeding everything from foot traffic to bikers and discouraging business development in the region. In addition, the Inner Loop and its frontage roads separate the downtown from adjacent thriving neighborhoods, like the Neighborhood of the Arts, Upper East End, Park Avenue and Monroe Village, which would be economic assets to the downtown if better connected.
With the TIGER grant investment, the City of Rochester plans to replace this expressway with an at-grade boulevard that will reconnect neighborhoods and encourage increased use of the downtown. This project would be a major job creator in the region, creating or retaining over 300 jobs initially and up to 3,680 jobs at full build-out according to City officials. These plans would also create nine acres of land for development, and produce as much as $6.86 million annually in new property taxes for the City. Schumer noted that many new privately-financed housing, commercial, and entertainment projects along this section of the Inner Loop underscore the anticipated market demand for new developable parcels in this area.
The City of Rochester will submit its application to the Department of Transportation for the TIGER Discretionary Grants program this week. The local metropolitan planning organization, the Genesee Transportation Council, recently passed a unanimous resolution making the Inner Loop East project the highest priority TIGER project in the nine-county Genesee-Finger Lakes Region. This means that all nine counties, as well as regional and state agencies, recognize this project as the region's highest priority for TIGER funding. If awarded the TIGER grant, the City plans to start construction in Fall 2013, and to complete construction by Fall 2015.
Schumer has long supported and fought on behalf of the City of Rochester's efforts to revitalize the City. Schumer has recently initiated a push to help the City negotiate the transfer of an underutilized River Street land parcel between the U.S. Coast Guard and the City of Rochester, clearing the way for the City's $19 million Port Revitalization Project to move forward. In March 2011, Schumer helped secure a $1.45 million federal grant to help fund the Marina construction as well. Schumer noted that the proposed Inner Loop East Reconstruction Project is linked with the Rochester Port revitalization, and meets all of the TIGER Long-Term Outcomes, because the project plans to reuse fill from the city waterfront revitalization project to raise the Inner Loop corridor to grade.
The TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) Discretionary Grant Program was developed to spur a national competition for innovative, multi-modal and multi-jurisdictional transportation projects that promise significant economic and environmental benefits to an entire metropolitan area, a region or the nation. Projects that typically receive TIGER grants include improvements to roads, bridges, rail, ports, transit and intermodal facilities, and Schumer noted that the City of Rochester's plan fits squarely within the program's mission.
A copy of Senator Schumer's letter to DOT Secretary Lahood appears below:
October 25, 2011
The Honorable Raymond LaHood, Secretary
United States Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20590
Dear Secretary LaHood,
I am writing to express my support for the City of Rochester's Inner Loop East Reconstruction Project through the FY 2011 TIGER Discretionary Grants program. This funding will be used to remove a deteriorated and underutilized section of the Inner Loop Expressway and replace it with a new high quality at-grade city street to spur economic development. This project will reconnect neighborhoods, right-size infrastructure to leverage private sector investment, and create more than nine acres of land for redevelopment.
The City of Rochester is successfully revitalizing its downtown area through strategic investments in infrastructure, economic development, and housing. A key piece of its downtown revitalization strategy is to attract new investments by reconnecting its downtown core to adjacent vibrant neighborhoods that are now effectively separated by the Inner Loop.
The ten to twelve lanes of the Inner Loop and its frontage roads create a "no-man's land" that separates the downtown area from adjacent thriving neighborhoods including the Neighborhood of the Arts, Upper East End, Park Avenue, and Monroe Village. The Inner Loop serves as a physical and psychological barrier, discouraging walking and biking and hindering economic development. Replacement of this expressway with an at-grade boulevard will reconnect neighborhoods. The move would create or retain over 300 jobs initially and up to 3,680 jobs at full build-out, create nine acres of land for development, and produce as much as $6.86 million annually in new property taxes. Moreover, recent new privately-financed housing, commercial, and entertainment projects along this section of the Inner Loop underscore the anticipated market demand for new developable parcels in this highly desirable project area.
The proposed project meets all of the TIGER Long-Term Outcomes in an innovative way by reusing fill from a city waterfront revitalization project to raise the Inner Loop corridor to grade. Plus this proposal enjoys the unanimous support of all nine county members of the Genesee-Finger Lakes metropolitan planning organization and is indeed recognized as the nine-county region's highest priority for TIGER funding.
I appreciate your full consideration of this important project. If you have any questions, or desire further information, please do not hesitate to contact my office at 202-224-6542.
Source