

ROCHESTER, NY – Today, Congresswoman Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY) and Mayor Tom Richards (D) announced a $17.7 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant to bring the Eastern section of the Inner Loop to grade, a project that Rep. Slaughter and the Mayor have spearheaded for many years. The grant – the third largest TIGER grant in the nation – will be used to “bridge the moat” between the city center and communities like the Neighborhood of the Arts, Park Avenue, and the South Wedge that have been separated by Rochester’s Inner Loop since the 1950s…

“We’ve been fighting for a long time to get the east end of the Inner Loop filled in, and I’m proud to announce that now we’ve got the federal funding to do it,” Rep. Slaughter said. “This TIGER grant – the third largest in the nation – will greatly improve the quality of life for so many of Rochester’s residents by connecting neighborhoods that have been separated for so long and restoring the wholeness and continuity of the city. I look forward to breaking ground on this project in the near future.”

“This is great news for our city as it will allow for the reconnecting of our neighborhoods, encourage walking and biking and it will create a new corridor for business, retail and housing,” said Mayor Thomas S. Richards. “The area between Monroe Avenue and Charlotte Street will no longer be looked at as a convenient way to exit our city, but as a convenient place to live, work and play in our city.”

The plan will fund construction on the 2/3 mile stretch of the eastern Inner Loop that runs from Monroe Avenue to Charlotte Street. The new plan will result in a more livable, connected city for all of its residents.

The Inner Loop project has a $24 million total cost that including the $17.7 million TIGER grant funding will also see a $5.9 million match by the City of Rochester. More information on the project can be found at www.cityofrochester.gov/innerloopeast.

In 2006, Slaughter secured $1.92 million in funding for the design and environmental work related to this project to demonstrate that traffic volumes no longer support the need for the Inner Loop, and that the highway is a significant barrier between local neighborhoods. This is the second TIGER grant secured by Rep. Slaughter in the last 16 months. In June of 2012, Rep. Slaughter announced a $15 million TIGER grant for a new Rochester Intermodal Transportation Center to replace the current “temporary” Amtrak station on Central Ave.

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