Inner Loop (Rochester)

Inner Loop
Map of Rochester with the remaining portion of the Inner Loop highlighted in red
Route information
Length:	2.68 mi (4.31 km) Excludes portion overlapped with I-490
Existed:	1965 – present
Major junctions
West end:	I-490 in Rochester
East end:	Scio Street in Rochester
Location
Counties:	Monroe
Highway system
New York Highways Interstate U.S. State Reference Parkways

The Inner Loop is a "C"-shaped freeway in downtown Rochester, New York, in the United States. Only the portions north of Interstate 490 (I-490) are signed as the "Inner Loop". The official western terminus of the Inner Loop is at I-490 exit 13 in the shadow of Frontier Field west of downtown, while the eastern terminus is at I-490 exits 15 and 16 directly south of downtown on the east bank of the Genesee River. This section of the loop is designated New York State Route 940T (NY 940T), an unsigned reference route, by the New York State Department of Transportation. Although the NY 940T designation is not signed, the road is signed with orange trapezoidal route markers containing the words "Inner Loop" in white.

Construction of the Inner Loop began in the early 1950s—when the city's population was well over 300,000 and 33% higher than it was in 2000—and completed in 1965. Over the past decade, traffic volume has remained constant on the roadway in some areas; however, overall usage from its completion to today has declined as jobs and residents continue to migrate away from the inner city. Due to its shape and location, the Inner Loop is seen as a divider, both physically and mentally, between downtown and the rest of the city, one that defines a definite center for Rochester. On December 2, 2014, the eastern section of the Inner Loop was closed as part of a project to downgrade it to a street at the cost of $21 million.

The Inner Loop forms a "C" around downtown Rochester, beginning, from west to east, at I-490 exit 13, a directional T interchange adjacent to Frontier Field, the home of the Rochester Red Wings. It heads to the northeast, passing Frontier Field and the High Falls business district as it runs parallel to the CSX Transportation-owned Rochester Subdivision railroad line. About 0.5 miles (0.8 km) from I-490, the Inner Loop and the Rochester Subdivision both cross the Genesee River just south of where the river goes over High Falls. On the other side of the river, the highway turns toward the east, separating from the railroad a short distance southwest of Rochester's Amtrak station on Central Avenue. This is also the location of the first exit on the Inner Loop heading east—with Saint Paul Street and Clinton and Joseph Avenues—and is the beginning of the frontage roads that run parallel to the loop along its length.