4 days ago
Traveling downtown might never be the same after Mayo Clinic expansion
May 31—ROCHESTER — Driving in downtown Rochester recently can feel a little like going through a corn maze, as the area is dotted with temporary lane and street closures.
While some lanes will reopen in the future, it's unlikely that traffic through parts of downtown will ever fully return to what some consider to be normal.
"Travel patterns downtown will change drastically," Rochester Traffic Engineer Sam Budzyna said.
The changes are the result of a pair of major projects in the city — Mayo Clinic's $5 billion expansion and the city's bus-rapid transit system. And it means some roads, like Third and Fourth avenues southwest, will look different permanently.
Last year, the Rochester City Council approved the future closure of the one-way roads between West Center Street and Second Street Southwest to make way for Mayo Clinic's "Bold. Forward. Unbound. In Rochester." project. Mayo Clinic recently submitted an application to consolidate several lots stretching west of the Mayo and Gonda buildings.
Mayo Clinic was required to conduct a traffic study and now must work with city staff to outline a plan for anticipated impacts for a 20-year period, Deputy Public Works Director and City Engineer Dillon Dombrovski said.
Third and Fourth avenues won't be officially vacated until city-approved plans to address traffic changes are in place.
So, where will that traffic go once those roads are closed? It's still a work in progress, but Sixth and Broadway avenues are expected to see major impacts.
"Looking at mitigation, we look at the impacts to intersections and different corridors," Dombrovski said. "In this study, it's obviously identified that those trips are going to have to shift elsewhere, and Sixth Avenue (Southwest) is one of the corridors that's identified that see an increase in traffic."
He said other north-south traffic could move to Broadway. Increased use of First Avenue will be discouraged, since its design targets pedestrian and bike use.
Budzyna said the impacts aren't expected to shift all current Third and Fourth avenue traffic to other north-south corridors, since early study indicates much of the past use focused on the clinic campus as a destination.
"A lot of that traffic does go straight to what's currently the west Gonda to drop off, so there's not a whole lot of through traffic with people just cutting through downtown all the way from north to south," he said.
While the combined one-way avenues have two lanes in each direction, he said current studies show Sixth Avenue will be able to accommodate the added traffic without widening the roadway, though some improvements are expected.
Mayo Clinic must fund the evaluation of potential changes for Sixth Avenue intersections at West Center Street, Second Street Northwest and Civic Center Drive for the city to decide if adjustments are needed, Dombrovski said.
"The studies indicate we're going to need to do something differently," he said, adding that Mayo Clinic is expected to bear most of the cost related to making changes under a pending development agreement.
City costs could come with improvements outside those required by the Mayo Clinic project.
In a statement from Mayo Clinic, communications manager Kristy Jacobson wrote that expansion plans are being "thoughtfully integrated into the broader Rochester downtown area, contributing to a vibrant community where community members, staff, patients and visitors feel welcome.
"Once Bold. Forward. Unbound. in Rochester is complete, arrival and departure — serving vehicles, shuttles, valet and pedestrians — will welcome patients and visitors to Mayo Clinic with designs that help reduce vehicle congestion and pave the way for a pedestrian-centric campus that seamlessly connects public and private spaces."
Budzyna said early plans show three drop-off points for the new complex:
* A southern loop around Calvary Episcopal Church , 111 Third Ave. SW., which sits between the existing Third and Fourth avenues;
* A similar northern loop with vehicles driving in on Fourth Avenue and out of Third Avenue;
* And a planned "North Arrival Center" near the Co-Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, 11 Fourth Ave. SW.
Combined with the addition of the city's Link Bus Rapid Transit system along Second Street south of the new Mayo Clinic Buildings, Budzyna predicts changes in driving habits will come with the expansion and new parking amenities outside the downtown core.
"The travel patterns are just going to change so much, opening up capacity for more patients and visitors rather than employees that just need to store their cars all day long," he said, adding that changes are expected to provide more options for accessing downtown.
One impact remaining to be addressed revolves around the elimination of a bike corridor that the city established five years ago.
"There's not going to be a bikeway on Third and Fourth (avenues) anymore like there is today, so we have a condition that requires Mayo to be responsible for re-establishing that bike network," Dombrovski said.
Mayo Clinic is expected to establish an indoor pedestrian passage through its new building at Fourth Avenue, but Dombrovski said that won't serve the needs of bicyclists, who use the two one-way avenues to cross between downtown bike routes on West Center Street and Fourth Street Southwest.
The city engineer said a mobility consultant is expected to be hired to engage bike users and determine the best north-south route through the downtown core, which would tie back to existing facilities on each side of the new construction.
Since closing the streets will rely on approved plans to address all traffic impacts, Rochester Planning Supervisor Ed Caples said final filing of the street status is delayed until agreements are reached.
"They have to work through it before they can record it," he said.
Additionally, he said, the subdivision being reviewed will require the street vacations to be filed before building permits can be issued.
Dombrovski said required reviews and planning for future traffic will take time, which is typical with large projects that impact public streets.
"That's not any different than any other development project," he said.
