Dear Mr. Walike and Mr. Frys,

We write on behalf of the Pearl Meigs Monroe Neighborhood Association (PMMNA), whose neighborhood directly borders the Broadway and South Union Street Improvement Project corridor, to formally request reconsideration of several key elements of the project's current design.

Background and Context

Broadway and South Union Street currently function as a high-speed one-way arterial, a legacy of their original role as a surface feeder to the Inner Loop expressway. That expressway no longer exists. The Inner Loop East has been removed and reconstructed as a surface street. The traffic volumes and through-movement demand that originally justified a high-design-speed, multi-lane one-way configuration have been substantially reduced. The corridor now passes primarily through residential neighborhoods and mixed-use urban fabric.

The proposed project rightly converts the corridor to two-way operation and introduces a two-way cycle track and improved pedestrian infrastructure. These are meaningful improvements and we support them. However, we are concerned that the current design retains lane widths, turn lanes, and a design speed more appropriate to a high-volume arterial feeder than to the low-volume urban neighborhood street this corridor is now.

Our Request

We respectfully request that NYSDOT Region 4 and Monroe County DOT:

1. Remove dedicated turn lanes from the intersection designs along Broadway, and re-evaluate the assumptions underlying the Traffic Impact Study that require those turn lanes. The current design includes turn lanes at every intersection. This imposes significant costs on the surrounding neighborhood: it dramatically widens the pedestrian crossing distance at each intersection, increases pedestrian exposure time and crash risk, and requires the removal of mature street trees that cannot be replaced within a human lifetime. We are particularly skeptical of the projected turning movements presented in the Two-Way Conversion Redistribution figures (Figures 7 and 8, pages 134 and 135 of the Traffic Impact Study Appendix). These forecasts are inconsistent with the surrounding network data and, in at least one case, were acknowledged by the design team in our May 7 meeting as warranting further review. The turn lane geometry is predicated on these projections. If the projections are corrected, the warrant for several of the proposed turn lanes will not be met, and the intersection geometry should be revised accordingly.
2. Review the design speed designation for this corridor with a target of 25 mph, consistent with its urban residential context and with the City of Rochester's adopted ROC Vision Zero Action Plan, which commits the City to a citywide 25 mph speed limit and to working with county and state partners on street design and traffic calming in pedestrian-priority areas.
3. Authorize or encourage a design exception to reduce travel lane widths to the urban minimum (10 to 10.5 feet), in accordance with NYSDOT's own flexibility guidance and NACTO Urban Street Design Guide standards, which are recognized by FHWA.
4. Consider tabled intersections and raised crosswalk treatments at key pedestrian crossings, which are effective traffic calming measures consistent with the project's stated goal of transforming this into a "context-appropriate urban street" (as described in the STIP project description for PIN 4CR023).

Why This Matters

Our review of Figures 7 and 8 of the Traffic Impact Study shows that the great majority of projected turning movements along the corridor are modest, in many cases in the single or low double digits per peak hour, well below thresholds that would warrant dedicated turn lanes under standard guidance. The design currently treats this corridor as if it still functions as a feeder to the Inner Loop. It does not. Building it as one will sacrifice mature canopy, widen every crossing, and lock in higher operating speeds for decades, all to serve turning volumes that the data itself does not support.

This corridor also connects directly to the recently-reconstructed South Union corridor, which was designed to urban street standards. Consistency between the two segments would reinforce the intended character of both. We are not asking for deviations from safety; on the contrary, we believe the changes we are requesting will measurably improve safety for everyone using the corridor. NYSDOT's own guidance allows for design flexibility in urban contexts, and that flexibility is regularly applied on comparable projects across New York State.

We would welcome the opportunity to discuss these requests directly with your staff, and we are prepared to bring community members, allied neighborhood associations, and transportation advocacy organizations including Reconnect Rochester to any such meeting. Please respond to the Broadway Redevelopment Feedback Committee at your earliest convenience.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime project that will shape our neighborhood for generations, either for the better or for the worse. Pearl Meigs Monroe is the most walkable neighborhood in Rochester according to Walk Score, and we want a design that reflects and reinforces that character rather than working against it. With thoughtful adjustments to the elements outlined above, this project can be one the City, the County, and the State are proud of for decades to come.

Respectfully submitted,

Stephen Mokey President, Pearl Meigs Monroe Neighborhood Association

Eric Cooper Member, Broadway Redevelopment Feedback Committee, Pearl Meigs Monroe Neighborhood Association

Eugene Evans Member, Broadway Redevelopment Feedback Committee, Pearl Meigs Monroe Neighborhood Association

 Additional signatories follow.