Jerrod KingeryThe city of Rochester, New York, is receiving federal funding to reconnect its neighborhoods to downtown.
The $100 million funding for the Inner Loop North Transformation Project comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Reconnecting Communities program (RCP). The program’s goal is to reconnect communities harmed by past transportation infrastructure decisions.
The Inner Loop North Transformation Project will remove Rochester’s Inner Loop and replace it with a new development. The project will reclaim 22 acres for redevelopment and green space by removing a 1.5-mile segment of the grade-separated Inner Loop Expressway. The segment will be replaced with an accessible, multimodal, at-grade network of complete streets that reconnect disadvantaged neighborhoods to Rochester’s downtown.
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The transformation will reconnect Downtown Rochester with several Rochester neighborhoods, the Public Market and High Falls. It will also restore a more pedestrian- and bike-friendly street grid.
Officials say the project, which also includes a $123 million commitment from New York State and the City of Rochester to complete design and construction, will serve as a national model for decommissioning aging infrastructure and restoring communities impacted by past transportation decisions.
“This incredible $100 million investment in Rochester’s Inner Loop North Transformation Project positions our city for lasting progress,” said Rochester Mayor Malik D. Evans. “This project will be instrumental in reconnecting our city, healing the damage of the past and creating bold opportunities for our future.”
Construction is expected to start in 2027.
Photo courtesy City of Rochester/Facebook
