(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.

Barring a last-ditch reprieve, the passageway, which also follows the site of the original Erie Canal through the city, will be packed tight with dirt, burying part of Rochester's long-forgotten salad days.

The decision has sparked some outcry from history buffs and community activists who say the move is shortsighted and will one day be regretted. But city officials argue that the abandoned tunnel is a safety hazard and too expensive to maintain.

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.

Thomas Hack, the city's chief structural engineer, said the city will likely offer public tours of the Broad Street tunnel before the work begins.

"It's one of those assets that I think everybody should see," he said.

History

In the 1800s and early 1900s, the tunnel was an open waterway, the site of the Erie Canal. Boats routinely cruised through downtown.

But all the lift bridges disrupted street traffic and it was considered "a blighted, unsightly mess," according to Canal Boats, Interurbans & Trolleys: The Story of the Rochester Subway, a 1985 book published by the Rochester Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society.

The canal was relocated south in the early 1900s, and the last canal boat traveled through downtown in 1919.

Rochester leaders decided to turn the abandoned canal right of way into a streetcar and subway system. In the 1920s, the system was built and Broad Street, supported by nearly 400 concrete columns and iron posts, was constructed over the canal bed through downtown. That's why structural engineers argue that it's not really a tunnel, but actually one of the longest bridges — if not the longest — in New York.

From 1927 to 1956, the tunnel served as part of the streetcar system, a source of pride considering Rochester was one of the smallest cities in the country with a subway. It even spawned a short movie: The End of the Line — Rochester's Subway.

Today, the passageway is desolate, spooky and in many areas pitch-dark — a haven for the homeless, graffiti artists, urban spelunkers and an occasional paintball game. It hasn't been used since 1997, when the Democrat and Chronicle stopped storing paper there.

It's filled with dust and fallen bits of the concrete ceiling. Stairwells have been walled off or, where still visible, rusted steps lead to nowhere. Some of the steel rails are missing, likely yanked out by scavengers looking for quick cash.

Many people are unaware of the passageway's history.

"I don't know the importance of that tunnel," said Aidee Reyes, 24, of Rochester.

But she and Kiyesha Goings, 23, of Rochester questioned the cost of filling it. "It just seems like a waste of money," Goings said.

The columns and road deck were last repaired in the late 1970s at a cost of more than $7 million. A study completed earlier this year estimated it would cost $24.2 million to completely repair it today.

City officials estimate that they would have to pump $15 million or so into maintenance every 15 years.

"It's terrible about filling it in, but there's no other reasonable solution," city Councilman Robert Stevenson said.

Shortsighted?

Even in its current shape, history buffs and others loathe the prospect of losing a little bit of Rochester's past.

"We're destroying the greatest artifact that's around," said John E. Curran, 56, a planner with Neighborhood United, which serves the West Main Street and Brown Street areas.

With the emergence of the Susan B. Anthony neighborhood and other historically significant sites on the west side, coupled with increased interest in the Erie Canal, city leaders should use the tunnel to take advantage of heritage tourism, he said.

"The ingredients for a historic district are in place," said Curran, who's pushing for a moratorium on the work.

Donald Espenmiller, 87, of Penfield, who worked on the subway as a conductor, figures that city leaders will regret the decision to fill in the tunnel someday — just like he bemoans the loss of the subway.

He still has numerous photos of those days and talks about the subway often.

"They should have kept it," said Espenmiller, whose father also worked on the subway.

As for the latest decision, he's a bit melancholy. "But that's the way it goes."

Thomas X. Grasso, president of the Canal Society of New York State and president of Inland Waterways International, said city leaders are missing an opportunity to revitalize the center city by not bringing back the canal.

"It's not about just putting water in an old canal bed," he said. "It's not about restoring the past. It's all about the future of downtown."

RARMON@DemocratandChronicle.com