Rochester's Subway tunnel to be filled in

Here is just part of the article............thoughts??

Rick Armon
Staff writer


(April 23, 2005) — After more than a decade of debate and studies about what to do with Rochester's old subway tunnel, city leaders say it's time to just fill it with dirt.

The $21 million Broad Street Tunnel Project — affecting the portion of the former subway that runs under downtown from Exchange Boulevard to Brown Street — is set to get under way in December.

Here's the link...........http://www.rochesterdandc.com/apps/pbcs ... /504230337

Colorful ideas to reuse the milelong passageway as an open canal or as part of a light rail system have languished, with no one stepping forward with the substantial money that would be needed. It's time, city officials say, for action.

"It would be nice if someone had $200 million to re-establish the canal as a tourist attraction or $50 million to establish a light rail system, but we just can't hang on to it," said Edward Doherty, the city commissioner of environmental services.

The project
The city will detail the project at a public meeting from 7 to 9 p.m. May 5 at the Bausch & Lomb Public Library downtown. The project, which is expected to take two years, involves hauling dirt under Broad Street by the truckload and packing it in solid. Contractors also will have to remove steel that supports the tunnel between Broad and Brown streets.

That work will go on basically out of sight from the public. But people will see some visible changes above ground: The city will install vintage lighting, new curbs, pavement, sidewalks and trees along the route. There also are plans for signs detailing the area's historical importance.

Most of the cost, $19.9 million, will be paid by the federal and state governments, with the city and county picking up the rest.
The effort will not affect the nearby aqueduct project, which involves rebuilding the tunnel east of Exchange Boulevard where the canal bed crosses the Genesee River and runs under the Rundel Memorial Building. That project includes constructing an underground walkway, a museum and shops.

Who convinced the city they could fill in the subway tunnel with "packed dirt"? I'd like to see THAT engineering study! Pack all the dirt you want- you'll still get air pockets and settling. And "dirt" wont support the highway bridges above. They will still have to maintain the deck of the Broad Street tunnel as a highway bridge regardless of how much dirt they pack in there.

At least dirt will make it easier to dig out again someday.

Here's a story I did on the Rochester Subway:

http://railroad.net/articles/railfannin ... /index.php

-otto-

[quote="Otto Vondrak"]They will still have to maintain the deck of the Broad Street tunnel as a highway bridge regardless of how much dirt they pack in there.[/quote]

The filling in is only from the BR&P station to the War Memorial. The accompanying map with the printed newspaper shows the fill ends right at the former aqueduct. The Broad Street Bridge through the library is to become shops and a museum.

Charles

The area they want to fill in is still considered a highway bridge, though. The entire "roof" of the Subway tunnel is a highway bridge. Broad Street is the deck of the tunnel.


Currently, there is a wooden staircase leading from the corner of the War Memorial right into the Subway, with no signs saying you shouldn't. They made access easier- do they want people walking around in there? No gates, no nothin. Don't take my post as an invite to start exploring down there. Just wondering what the new wooden staircase was for.

-otto-

My guess is they'll fill and pack as much as possible from underneath, then tear off the deck from above and rebuild the road surface at a later date.

They did mention something about possibly having public tours before they do the fill project... that'd be cool.

nessman wrote:My guess is they'll fill and pack as much as possible from underneath, then tear off the deck from above and rebuild the road surface at a later date.

They did mention something about possibly having public tours before they do the fill project... that'd be cool.

I would agree they would have to reconstruct the road. If there going to be takeing steel beams out it would be vary noteable with varyed cracks and small sink holes. Loose dirt just being compacted won't hold nothing even if compacting it. Give it a few years with water leaking into that area and slowley washing the dirt out will make a big sink hole later.

I think I heard that the deck of Broad Street tunnel was completely rebuilt in the 1970s? About the same time they restored the acqueduct?

-otto-

A couple of years ago, the Rochester D&C had an article on homeless people. Many of them live in the tunnel.

I'm sure not all of them are the hospitable variety, so I don't recommend exploring the tunnels.

I've never ventured down there myself (I'd better hurry), but for the most part from what I've read the homeless won't bother you. If anything - they're more afraid of people hassling them. I'm sure if you go down there with a 6-pack of beer and a carton of smokes, you'll make more friends than enemies.

I first explored the aqueduct in the mid-70's and it really hasn't changed much since then except that it's been cleaned up somewhat, perhaps in preparation for the "museums and shops" that are to be installed. The new wooden staircase that Otto refers to is (I think) part of the city's plan for a riverwalk through downtown. I walked part of the riverwalk already and the city's done a very nice job.
I agree that the homeless are probably more afraid of us than the other way around but I strongly recommend exploring the former subway tunnel with a few friends.
A friend of mine related a story to me regarding the subway tunnel. Shortly after the subway was abandoned in 1956, he and a friend started a small fire in one of the stations near the aqueduct and the fire got out of control, resulting in a disruption of power and telephone service downtown. A similar event took place a few years ago with the same results. It was theorized that a homeless person had started a fire to keep warm and the fire got out of control.

Here's a link to an infiltration website with a section on the Rochester subway with some neat photos:
http://infiltration.org/transit-roch.html

That RGE substation there on the corner near the aqeduct used to serve the Subway. After the electric service ended on the Subway in 1957, does anyone know if that substation was repurposed?

-otto-

Otto Vondrak wrote:That RGE substation there on the corner near the aqeduct used to serve the Subway. After the electric service ended on the Subway in 1957, does anyone know if that substation was repurposed?

I think it's a steam plant now.

rls62,

Thanks for that great website. My parents have the RNRHS book on the ROchester Subway. It is an awesome book. My Dad's parents took him to ride the subway just before it shut down in 1956 and he remembers it as an 8 year old.

Brooks