Courtesy of newyorkrailroads.com
Congresswoman Louise Slaughter announced on Wednesday, April 3 that the city of Rochester will break ground this August on a $26.5 million intermodal transportation center.
The long-awaited project, which will include bus terminals and a new Amtrak station, will be built at the site of the existing train station on North Clinton and Joseph Avenues but on a different portion of the land. The building will be modeled after Rochester’s historic Bragdon Station, which was built in 1914 and demolished in 1965.
“We’ve waited 36 years for a new railway station, and now it’s on the way,” Slaughter, who championed the project, said.
The project is funded by $18.5 million from federal grants, $7.5 million in state funding, and $0.5 million from the city of Rochester.
The New York State Department of Transportation is coordinating a team that will design and build the new station, which was touted for its improvements in passenger amenities, comfort, safety, and handicap accessibility, as well as its ability to serve a larger volume of passengers. The station is projected to serve more than 204,800 passengers by the year 2035.
A contract is slated to be awarded this summer, and completion of the entire project is projected for 2016.
Slaughter also noted that the project will bring economic development to the downtown area as well as create about 100 new construction jobs and serve the area’s large population of students.
The Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority began construction on a new $47 million transportation center on Mortimer Street in November, another project praised for its potential to revitalize downtown Rochester.
The center, which will allow for the transfer of buses off Main Street’s often traffic-glutted thoroughfare, is scheduled for completion in 2015.
Buletti is a member of the class of 2013.
