The City of Rochester and Regional Greater Rochester Transit Authority outlined traffic plans for street closures during the filming of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in downtown starting on Tuesday, April 30th.
"You know, you can't have a good time without putting up with a little inconvenience," says Major Tom Richards, in an effort to lighten mood over significant traffic detours and delays that will accompany a portion of the movie being filmed here.
"It's going to be a good time. It's going to be exciting. It's a unique event for us, and it's a great opportunity for us," says Richards. "And that's really the spirit in which we want to approach it."
Main St. between East and South Plymouth Avenues will be closed off to vehicle traffic each day from 5:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. City officials say foot traffic is allowed on Main St. only during staging breaks.
RTS buses will be taken off Main St. between Chestnut St. and Plymouth Ave. Bus transfers will be on Broad Street, near the Central Library and the Blue Cross Arena during the 10-day movie shoot.
The CEO of the Regional Greater Rochester Transit Authority, Bill Carpenter, says they will have road supervisors and customer service representatives downtown to answer questions riders may have.
"We want to make it as easy for our customers as possible," says Carpenter. "We’ll have extra buses staged on either side of Main Street, north and south - either side of the river, east and west. So if a bus does get held up in some of the congestion, another bus can get the customers."
Carpenter says RTS customers can to find maps of the new temporary route changes on their website.
The Rochester City School District says 1,800 students travel to 11 different schools using city buses. Students are encouraged to double-check bus changes to ensure arriving to school on time.
The "Where's My Bus?" feature will not be in service during the movie filming.
City officials say drivers should budget in an extra 15 to 20 minutes to get into and out of downtown near Main Street. Traffic delays may be longer in areas that must be cleaned and secured after scenes involving car crashes and pyrotechnics.
The city says the movie company is paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in overtime for police and fire personnel.
If anyone is planning to venture downtown to watch the chase scene of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 being filmed, city officials say pay attention to signage, police officers and security personnel. They say the community's safety is paramount.
Daily traffic updates will be provided, so the community can plan head.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 chase scene is being filmed from April 30th to May 9th.