Street Design
Voice of the Community: East Main Street Reconstruction
THE PROJECT
East Main Street in Rochester, New York, connects a mixed-use neighborhood to downtown and nearby arts and business districts. The corridor’s vehicular traffic includes a public transportation fleet and tractor trailers serving commercial businesses.
The City of Rochester chose Erdman Anthony to provide street design and survey services for a Locally Administered Federal Aid (LAFA) project to reconstruct 0.90 miles of East Main Street. Erdman Anthony also provided project management and construction support.
FEATURES/SOLUTIONS
Complete Streets context-sensitive design solutions addressed deteriorated pavement and safety deficiencies, improved traffic flow, and improved mobility for bicyclists and pedestrians. In addition to new full-depth pavement, the project included new curbing, sidewalks, two new midblock marked crosswalks, including one with an island crossing, decorative street lighting, traffic signal upgrades, planting 100+ trees, hardscaping, and water mains, as well as drainage improvements.
The project’s signature feature was the addition of a one-way cycle track to provide a protected bicycle facility along each side of the corridor.
The project also involved significant utility coordination to relocate private utilities (electric and telephone duct bank) due to the narrowing of the pavement section.
IMPACTS
The project’s improvements, including aesthetic features placed throughout the corridor, has transformed this neighborhood for businesses, commuters, and, most importantly, city residents.
Substantial public participation was involved to gain community support for the project and the proposed cycling-related improvements, resulting in the project ranking in the top 10 nationwide for The Best New U.S. Bike Lanes of 2023 by PeopleForBikes.
Awards
2024 ACEC New York Engineering Excellence Silver Award
Category H: Transportation
2023 APWA Genesee Valley Branch Project of the Year Award
Transportation Category ($5 Million to $25 Million)