West Henrietta Road Safety Enhancement Project
The New York State Department of Transportation is hosting a public workshop on Monday March 23rd to discuss the West Henrietta Road Safety Enhancement project. This project is a rare reconstruction project which will expand the public right-of-way and present a once in a generation opportunity to create a corridor which is accessible to all. This public meeting is an early opportunity to talk with project designers and emphasise the importance of design elements which support safe walking, biking, and transit along the corridor. There will likely be additional milestones in the design process in the coming year.
High Level Points to Emphasize
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This is a rare reconstruction project which is widening the public right-of-way. Now is the time to build a street for all users. Projects like this are a once in a generation opportunity to build a roadway which accommodates all users. Most road projects we comment on are smaller maintenance projects which do not change the curbs, this project will completely reconstruct the roadway and replace utilities. We have the freedom to put the corridor back together with sidewalks, cycle tracks, proper bus stops, and safe pedestrian crossings.
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This section of West Henrietta road is a key connection in our region’s transportation and job access network, full of businesses and destinations. This is the first roadway identified in the 2023 Monroe County Active Transportation Plan (CATP as a potential active transportation corridor that is up for a reconstruction project. As a reminder, reconstruction projects completely rebuild the roadway and install new curbs. Within the right of way, this presents a huge opportunity to place the new curbs and infrastructure in a way to accommodate all users. Hundreds of jobs are located along the West Henrietta Corridor and thousands are located just beyond, it is critical that this direct corridor is safe for cyclists, pedestrians, and transit riders of all ages and abilities.
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Thank the project team for including a complete sidewalk network on both sides of West Henrietta Road in the proposed design. Adding proper ADA compliant sidewalks as proposed by NYSDOT’s preliminary design will drastically improve mobility along West Henrietta Road.
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The proposed bike accommodations are not sufficient. NYSDOT should include off-street cycle tracks throughout the entire corridor. Five foot shoulders along a high-speed arterial will not welcome cyclists of all ages and abilities. Major reconstruction projects like this provide the opportunity to construct infrastructure which accommodates all ages and all abilities. Children, seniors, and most adults will not feel safe biking in the shoulder. We strongly encourage NYSDOT designers to follow AASHTO’s 2024 Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities and include protected bike infrastructure as described in chapter 7.
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Bus stop benches and shelters should be included in this project. We encourage NYSDOT designers to work with RTS to ensure that every bus stop has a dignified place to sit protected from the elements. Bus platforms should also be made large enough to accommodate both front door loading and rear door departure.
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Ensure that every bus stop along NY-15 has a safe marked crossing within 200 feet. At signalized intersections, this includes LPI (Leading Pedestrian Intervals) and NTOR (No Turn On Red) as well as crosswalks along all four legs of each intersection. At key unsignalized intersections and mid-block crossings, we strongly encourage the inclusion of pedestrian islands.
You can find the preliminary design on NYSDOT’s Project Webpage or in the attachments to this email.
Project Webpage: https://www.dot.ny.gov/route15safety
In-Person Meeting:
DATE: Monday, March 23, 2026
TIME: 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
LOCATION: Empire State University → 680 Westfall Road, Rochester, NY 14620
TRANSIT OPTIONS: RTS Routes 13/17/14 (Stop: E Henrietta/Westfall, walk approx. 15 min) OR route 12 (Stop: Lac De Ville/Lac Kine S, walk approx. 15 min)
BIKE RACKS: A bike rack is located to the right of the main entrance: Google Street View
