ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Irondequoit Bay Outlet Bridge will reopen to traffic on Friday, Nov. 1 through March. It closes for cars and opens for boats from April through October.

Years ago, there was talk about adding a ramp from Route 104 to Sea Breeze Drive so drivers don’t need to rely on the bridge. What happened to that idea?

In 2018, News10NBC reported on the results of the Irondequoit Bay Outlet Bridge Alternatives Analysis Study. One of those proposed alternatives was adding a ramp off Route 104. One viewer asked: “Just curious as to why the 104 to 590N ramp was never completed?”

From a Google Maps viewpoint, you can see the beginnings of that ramp, never completed, sitting just off the Irondequoit Bay Bridge heading west.

The study from six years ago outlined a few issues with the proposed exit ramp. One of the issues is that it would’ve cut through 17 parcels of privately owned land. Turns out, that’s ultimately what shut the idea down.

Because Routes 104 and 590 are maintained by the state, News10NBC asked the New York State Department of Transportation for more information.

The DOT says, “While there were discussions in the past about Route 104 to Route 590 northbound ramps, they would have required the department acquiring a number of properties through eminent domain and would have resulted in increased traffic in a residential area. As a result, the department is not moving forward with the project at this location at this time.”

The Department of Justice defines eminent domain as the government’s power to take private property for public use.

Some of the other proposed alternatives were a tunnel, a fixed bridge, and a lift bridge over the Irondequoit Bay Outlet. The DOT says it’s not considering any other possible solutions for the outlet bridge issue at this time.

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