Rochester city officials are moving ahead with some street improvements downtown for what is part of a much larger project called ‘Aqueduct Reimagined.’
Officials broke ground Tuesday for upcoming work just off Main Street near the Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center.
It will make the small park located there a more pedestrian friendly area while also maintaining access for vehicles.
Mayor Malik Evans said that taking advantage of amenities like the Genesee River and waterfalls that run through the city is crucial.
“It’s an important project to the city, we’re talking about a project that is in the heart of the city, and so many other cities have embraced the waterfront,” noted Evans. “This allows us to be able to do that, and that’s why this project is so very important because it’s leveraging an asset that we currently have.”
Kamal Crues is the Program Manager for Roc the Riverway. He said the work being done in that park off Main St. will increase ADA accessibility for the public and also increase access for businesses that are already located there.
“Many of these streets are very, very old, and in a very deteriorated state; many of the streets are well over 100 years old,” said Crues.
The small park and pedestrian access work downtown near the river is expected to be completed by the end of the year. But the overall Aqueduct Reimagined and Roc the Riverway programs will likely take much longer to complete and they also require raising millions of dollars to finance those projects.
This story includes reporting by WXXI's Gino Fanelli.
