On Seneca Avenue, a rehabilitation project has been underway, causing lane reductions and detours for residents and commuters.
From East Ridge Road to Norton Street, there will be continuous lane closures on Seneca Avenue for road reconstruction and new pedestrian infrastructure. Project features will include:
There will also be new bicycle facilities, potential changes to parking regulations, potential curb modifications including pavement width changes and curb bump outs, traffic signal improvements and improved transit features.
During the project’s development stages, residents were invited to a public open house to give input on the project’s designs. Some are looking forward to the improvements, while others are concerned about road conditions and daily traffic changes.
Residents near Seneca Avenue comment on local traffic changes
A resident on Norton Avenue, Rosie Allen, said, “I think that the construction definitely needs to be done in the area. The Irondequoit does not look like [this], there’s trees and sidewalks on their roads.”
And while Allen thinks the project is necessary for the neighborhood, she also thinks the traffic and construction could be more convenient for residents that commute in the morning. “RTS buses are behind and school buses are behind daily,” Allen said. “It’s a lot of noise between 7 a.m. and noon, and now it’s almost afternoon. It’s an inconvenience for parents that are commuting their children to and from school also.”
Helen Barrett Montgomery School 50 is an elementary school located near the construction site at 301 Seneca Ave.
Paul McCrossen has been a resident near School 50 on Seneca Avenue since 1979 and is currently a school crossing guard. McCrossen has been having a difficult time with the construction and is critical of how the project will improve the neighborhood.
“It’s a little bit annoying when they start at 7:30 in the morning and you’re a senior citizen, but it is what it is,” McCrossen said.
McCrossen also questions how improvements are prioritized for the neighborhood. Due to the number of unhoused people that frequent the neighborhood, McCrossen questions if the funds from the project would be better spent on other things.
“It’s a little mind-boggling to me. The money is going to be spent on this bicycle path, and I just don’t see a lot of using a bicycle path on Seneca Avenue,” said McCrossen, “It’s not like you’re creating [it] through Maplewood Park or Seneca Park.”
Excel Service and Towing sits in the heart of the construction site on the corner of Bastian Street and Seneca Avenue.
Barb Chen is the manager at the shop and is looking forward to the rehabilitation and has not experienced any issues with the construction. “Traffic has not been a problem, surprisingly,” Chen said. “I thought it would be especially because folks like to cut between Seneca and Clinton down our street, but we haven’t seen any issues at all.”
Construction will begin with closures going north on Seneca Avenue. Following the construction on one side, the next phase of the project will feature lane closures going south on the avenue.
Drivers should anticipate travel delays during this time and are advised to follow posted detours and flaggers near work zones, or seek alternate routes if necessary. Construction activities are weather dependent and subject to change based on conditions.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Seneca Avenue construction brings delays and mixed reactions
Reporting by Genae Shields, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Genae Shields, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | USA TODAY Network
