New York State Route 531

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NY Route 531
Spencerport Expressway
Maintained by NYSDOT
Length: 8.02 mi[1] (12.91 km)
Formed: 1984[1]
West end: NY 31/36 near Spencerport
East end: I-490 in Gates
Counties: Monroe
Numbered highways in New York
< NY 495 I-587 >
Interstate - U.S. - N.Y. - Reference

New York State Route 531 is an 8.02 mile long state highway currently located entirely within Monroe County in Western New York. The route, a limited-access highway for all eight miles, serves as a connector between the northwestern suburbs of Rochester and Interstate 490. As of 2006, the western terminus of NY 531 is at New York State Route 31 and New York State Route 36 west of Spencerport in the town of Ogden. The eastern terminus of NY 531 is at I-490 exit 8 two miles west of the Rochester city limits.

NY 531 is officially designated the Senator Ralph Quattrociocchi Memorial Highway in honor of Ralph Quattrociocchi, a state senator who played a large role in making the extension of NY 531 from Manitou Road to NY 36 possible.[2] The road is also known as the Spencerport Expressway, named for the village near the highway's western terminus.

The expressway was constructed in three sections, with the final section between NY 36 and Manitou Road opening to traffic in 1995. In recent years, a number of grants have been given by various agencies to finance research and planning for a potential extension of NY 531 westward to Redman Road in Brockport. A 2007 meeting between residents of Brockport and officials from the New York State Department of Transportation set a tentative timeline for the extension, with NYSDOT planning to have a design approved by late 2009.

Contents

[edit] Route description

Eastbound NY 531 begins at NY 31 a half-mile west of the northern terminus of NY 36. NY 531 heads southeast from Brockport-Spencerport Road (NY 31), following a one-lane ramp east to NY 36. Shortly before intersecting with Washington Street (NY 36) at an at-grade intersection, the ramp widens to two lanes. At NY 36, NY 531 westbound terminates, forcing commuters to exit onto NY 36.

Past the junction with NY 36, NY 531 becomes a four-lane expressway with a speed limit of 65 miles per hour, passing through open fields as it heads east through rural Ogden.[3] Directly south of Spencerport, NY 531 interchanges with South Union Street (New York State Route 259) by way of a diamond interchange. The roadway continues east through farmland for two miles before turning to the south a short distance east of the Gillett Road overpass. NY 531 proceeds due south for three-quarters of a mile, passing over Lyell Road at the midpoint of the segment, before returning to an east-west alignment just ahead of the Manitou Road exit, where NY 531 crosses into Gates.

Between Manitou Road and Elmgrove Road (NY 386), a pair of 1.08 mile long frontage roads linking the two exits runs parallel to NY 531. Eastbound, access to Manitou Road, NY 386, and the Rochester Tech Park is restricted to the south frontage road, designated Reference Route 946E. Westbound, the north frontage road, designated Reference Route 946F, acts as a collection road for the separate ramps to NY 386 and Manitou Road from NY 531 westbound. The westbound exit to the Rochester Tech Park, a standalone two-lane ramp splitting from NY 531 a short distance west of the NY 386 overpass, has no connection to the north frontage road. Neither frontage road is signed on their respective reference markers, as "531" is used on the markers instead.[4]

West of NY 386, the expressway expands to three lanes as it approaches I-490. The two leftmost lanes connect NY 531 east to I-490 east while the right lane links to I-490 west a quarter-mile north of the Western Expressway's modified cloverleaf interchange with New York State Route 33.

[edit] History

[edit] Creation and construction

The Spencerport Expressway (NY 531) was devised as part of a plan to link Rochester and Buffalo with a limited-access, toll-free highway. Although this plan was ultimately scrapped, the first segment of the expressway from I-490 west to NY 386 was built in the 1970s and designated Reference Route 940P. In 1984, the expressway was extended westward to Manitou Road and was redesignated NY 531. The highway was extended to its current western terminus in 1995 when, after years of delays caused by opposition to the construction of NY 531 into Spencerport, the section between Manitou Road and NY 36 opened to traffic for the first time.[1]

[edit] Future

 This section contains information about a planned or expected future road.
It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change as the road's construction or completion approaches and more information becomes available.

In July 2005, the Genesee Transportation Council added $5.8 million to its Transportation Improvement Program aimed at stimulating the effort to extend NY 531. The money will be used by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) to conduct engineering and environmental studies.[5] Later, in September, another $5.92 million was secured by Monroe County. The amount will be used toward the completion of the planning phase of the project.[6]

On 10 January 2007, NYSDOT held a meeting in Brockport to discuss the future of NY 531. Three options were considered at the event. The first option advocated status quo, keeping the western terminus of NY 531 at NY 36. The second, most expensive option, would result in the extension of NY 531 along a new right-of-way to Redman Road, one mile west of New York State Route 19, southwest of Brockport at a cost of US$94 million. The third option would be to upgrade NY 31 between NY 36 and Redman Road at an expense of US$41 million.

The second option, if chosen, would be difficult to implement due to the $94 million cost. As the annual budget of all of NYSDOT Region 4 equates to US$90 million, the project would have to be constructed as financing became available. Two more meetings are planned in 2008 and 2009, with a request for approval of the completed design expected to come in fall 2009.[7]

[edit] Exit list

Exits are listed from west to east. All exits are unnumbered.

County Location Mile[8] Destinations Notes
Monroe Ogden 0.00 NY 36 (Washington Street) At-grade intersection
2.61 NY 259 (South Union Street) - Spencerport
Gates 5.89 Manitou Road
6.37 Rochester Tech Park Direct exit westbound; exit is contained on the south frontage road and has no signage eastbound
6.99 NY 386 (Elmgrove Road)
8.02 I-490 - Rochester, Buffalo Eastbound exit and westbound entrance

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c New York Routes - New York State Route 531. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
  2. ^ Yesterday's News for April 2002. Retrieved on 2007-02-14.
  3. ^ NY Route 531 exit listing. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
  4. ^ Empire State Roads - Reference Routes, Region 4. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
  5. ^ Route 531 Extension Plan Moves Ahead. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
  6. ^ Route 531 Extension Project Receives More Funds. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
  7. ^ Residents and officials discuss Route 531 extension options. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
  8. ^ NYSDOT Traffic Data Report - Routes 427 to 908F. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.