531 expansion? (Brockport, Albion, Clarendon: contractor, drive, highway)

[cheese9988]

Originally Posted by I'minformed2

Elmgrove is a lot of things now. I believe it got rented out by several small companies.

As far as 531 goes...of course they would do this AFTER my elderly parents sold the family cottage in Kuckville!!!

I work right next to Elmgrove and it looks like there is a decent amount of companies in there. The parking lot has a lot of cars everyday too. I've only been inside Kodak Park, so I can't really say whats inside.

[rochacha]

Originally Posted by juppiter

No, that's actually true. So when Kodak Elmgrove closed, we were basically screwed. Honestly, it's kind of a frustrating job (though I LOVE it.) Greece allowed W. Ridge Rd. to get overdeveloped, but we're the ones who had to pay for it to be redeveloped with the median and the U-turn lanes, which took 5 years. We're gonna do the same thing w/ Jefferson Rd., and again, Henrietta allowed it to get overdeveloped in the first place. Why shouldn't THEY have to pay since they created the problem?!

Like, Kodak could have told us they were not going to keep it (Elmgrove) open :-/ What is it now BTW? Nothing? I've never been to Gates, but I'm actually going to be there Friday b/c we're re-doing/widening the Buffalo Rd./Howard Rd. intersection and I have to find out what businesses will be affected by it.

No need to go there...I can tell you Tim Horton's, Dunkin Donuts, and a Funeral Home I think! While you are out there, take Howard Road up to Lyell and right behind Friendly's there is a little Italian shop called Guiseppes...stop and get a loaf of bread...you won't be disappointed!

[rochacha]

Originally Posted by juppiter

OK so I'm an Albany native who is a UofR student and I work at the New York State Department of Transportation in case y'all don't know my background...

One of the things we want to do is expand 531 in Brockport to reduce the burden on 31 which apparently has too much traffic. Is this needed, in your opinion? I spend most of my time in Rochester/Henrietta/Brighton/Pittsford and I'm not familiar at all with the Brockport area.

That is a good question. I think what it will do is push the suburban sprawl out further into Sweden/Clarendon/Bergen. It certainly would be good for those living in Brockport and attending Brockport State. If you look at towns along the current 531 like Ogden, they are an interesting blend of older homes and newer $300k housing tracts that sprouted up around 1995 when the first expansion was completed. I imagine it will have a similar effect (to a lesser degree because of the added distance) to Sweden.

[allpro13]

Originally Posted by juppiter

OK so I'm an Albany native who is a UofR student and I work at the New York State Department of Transportation in case y'all don't know my background...

One of the things we want to do is expand 531 in Brockport to reduce the burden on 31 which apparently has too much traffic. Is this needed, in your opinion? I spend most of my time in Rochester/Henrietta/Brighton/Pittsford and I'm not familiar at all with the Brockport area.

Juppiter - I travel route 531 to route 31 everyday for work. Fortunately I am coming from Spencerport traveling to Holley so I'm going in the proper direction as all of the traffic is coming towards the City. In the morning and in the evenings there's always a ton of traffic getting off of 531 onto 31 and 31 itself is very congested at least in one direction.

An extension of 531 would certainly decrease my 30 minute morning commute. I'm sure it would take years to get this project permitted and completed, but it would be an excellent expansion for me!

[rochacha]

Originally Posted by allpro13

Juppiter - I travel route 531 to route 31 everyday for work. Fortunately I am coming from Spencerport traveling to Holley so I'm going in the proper direction as all of the traffic is coming towards the City. In the morning and in the evenings there's always a ton of traffic getting off of 531 onto 31 and 31 itself is very congested at least in one direction.

An extension of 531 would certainly decrease my 30 minute morning commute. I'm sure it would take years to get this project permitted and completed, but it would be an excellent expansion for me!

I may be wrong, but I think they have been working on it for a number of years and are now just getting to the place where it is possible. I know they had hearings in Brockport on it a couple years ago. I think the studies are in place to expand to Redman Road...they just need to get funding...hey, how convenient that Obama wants to sign an infrastructure bill! If I remember correctly, they expect it to cost something like $90 million between construction and buying up the land they need for it.

EDIT: I found a link http://westsidenewsonline.com/OldSit...residents.html

[mycrows]

Originally Posted by rochacha

I may be wrong, but I think they have been working on it for a number of years and are now just getting to the place where it is possible. I know they had hearings in Brockport on it a couple years ago. I think the studies are in place to expand to Redman Road...they just need to get funding...hey, how convenient that Obama wants to sign an infrastructure bill! If I remember correctly, they expect it to cost something like $90 million between construction and buying up the land they need for it.

EDIT: I found a link Residents and officials discuss Route 531 extension options

Frankly, I hope Obama's infrastructure bill isn't designed for highways to exurban developments. And I doubt it is: that would be really backward thinking. To spend what amounts to a normal DOT operating budget for a whole year on this project would, in my opinion, be nuts.

Look at this quote from your article:

"One difference in the report is that it was assumed the area would see a two percent growth rate but the DOT is using a one percent growth rate for its travel models," Daniel McCusker, project scoping leader said.

If gas keeps rising we could see the growth rate for development in outlying areas like Brockport slow to a halt. If NYSDOT (aka #1 highway lovers) doesn't think it's necessary then we ought to listen to them. Leave the farms intact! Proximity to farmable land is one of the best resources for WNY cities.

[rochacha]

Originally Posted by mycrows

Frankly, I hope Obama's infrastructure bill isn't designed for highways to exurban developments. And I doubt it is: that would be really backward thinking. To spend what amounts to a normal DOT operating budget for a whole year on this project would, in my opinion, be nuts.

Look at this quote from your article:

"One difference in the report is that it was assumed the area would see a two percent growth rate but the DOT is using a one percent growth rate for its travel models," Daniel McCusker, project scoping leader said.

If gas keeps rising we could see the growth rate for development in outlying areas like Brockport slow to a halt. If NYSDOT (aka #1 highway lovers) doesn't think it's necessary then we ought to listen to them. Leave the farms intact! Proximity to farmable land is one of the best resources for WNY cities.

I don't necessarily agree with that. Look at the east side...Penfield was nothing like it is now before 441. Victor would still be farmland without 490. Spencerport has grown substantially since 531, as has Brockport despite the terminus bring 5 miles east of town. With the size of Brockport and using Ogden after 531's prior expansion as a model, I think 2% is realistic. With the infrastructure in place, areas like Rochester Tech Park may become more desirable for companies and competitive with current exurban locations like Perinton. After all, I don't hear people moving out of Mendon in droves because of the cost of gas.

EDIT: To address the costs issue, I think putting it in terms of the DOT operating budget is irrelevent. 4,500 linear feet of redesign on West Ridge Rd. ran around $14 million...compared to that, this is a steal.

[mycrows]

Originally Posted by rochacha

I don't necessarily agree with that. Look at the east side...Penfield was nothing like it is now before 441. Victor would still be farmland without 490. Spencerport has grown substantially since 531, as has Brockport despite the terminus bring 5 miles east of town. With the size of Brockport and using Ogden after 531's prior expansion as a model, I think 2% is realistic. With the infrastructure in place, areas like Rochester Tech Park may become more desirable for companies and competitive with current exurban locations like Perinton. After all, I don't hear people moving out of Mendon in droves because of the cost of gas.

I think you misunderstood me. I don't want them to subdivide that Gallup Rd farmer's land for McMansions. And I don't consider the development in Penfield/Victor to be some kind of victory. I am hoping that Obama's transportation policy will de-incentivize movement to the exurbs, not facilitate it.

[rochacha]

Originally Posted by mycrows

I think you misunderstood me. I don't want them to subdivide that Gallup Rd farmer's land for McMansions. And I don't consider the development in Penfield/Victor to be some kind of victory. I am hoping that Obama's transportation policy will de-incentivize movement to the exurbs, not facilitate it.

Sorry for the misunderstanding. I understand about the concern over the farmland. The current 531 expansion divided the Colby farmland in half as well. However, the DOT built overpasses over access roads large enough to move farm equipment from one side to the other. With the amount of environmental studies that would need to take place, I would expect a minimal impact.

My thoughts on the urban sprawl are that if the city had its act together to begin with, we wouldn't have these problems. You can build a road to Brockport and unless people have a reason against living in their current location, they are not going to move out and commute to the city just because they have a highway now.

[I'minformed2]

I love this whole region and our beautiful suburban neighborhoods and villages are great; but its at the expense of the city and inner-ring suburbs becoming more abandoned and the nice farmland being developed to just allow the area to keep sprawling out (we are already one of the top 20 most sprawled out metros in the country). Our population is pretty stagnant right now and even when we were seeing modest growth through the 90's we were building "out" too much.