City officials have announced that a High Falls trail project is complete and that rehab on the Pont de Rennes pedestrian bridge over the Genesee River and Browns Race is beginning.
The Pont de Rennes is a wrought iron span near High Falls that opened in 1891 as the Platt Street Bridge. It accommodated horse-drawn wagons and automobiles for decades, becoming a pedestrian walkway in 1982 and renamed as a tribute to Rochester’s bond with its French sister city, Rennes. Browns Race is a short street in the High Falls District that’s paved with stone.
"The improvements we have planned for Pont de Rennes at Brown’s Race will make these areas even more pedestrian and business friendly while maintaining their historical integrity,” Mayor Malik Evans said during a news conference Thursday, where he was flanked by representatives from Rennes, France. “The improvements at the bridge will create a dynamic public space for creative lighting, public art, plantings, and trail connections. Browns Race will better reflect its roots as a vital industrial hub.”
The city plans to perform structural work on the pedestrian bridge, including a new deck and railings to make viewing High Falls easier. It also plans to install new benches and lighting, as well as a selfie station overlooking the downtown falls that will bear a Pont de Rennes label.
City Council President Miguel Melendez said the Pont de Rennes rehab will complement other city projects, including construction of the new Running Track Bridge, a former railroad bridge over the Genesee north of Pont de Rennes that crews are converting to a pedestrian walkway.
“What's going to happen with this bridge is going to be tremendous,” Melendez said. “There'll be a lot of opportunity for connectivity, walkability, and equity and access. You know, a lot of our residents don't get views of the river in the north side of the town. So having investments in our pedestrian bridges is going to be critically important as we move forward.”
The Pont de Rennes rehab is the latest in a series of projects the city has undertaken around High Falls and the Genesee Brewery. On Thursday, officials cut the ribbon on the Brewery Line Trail. Work began on that path last year in conjunction with improvements to High Falls Terrace Park.
The park, trail, and bridge are in City Councilmember Michael Patterson’s district. He said he remembered a time when that area was a forgotten and neglected part of the city. He credited the Genesee Brewery and its employees for sparking the projects, which could tie into the proposed state park at High Falls.
“I've been running around down in the gorge since I was a kid, okay, and it was never safe down in the gorge as a kid,” Patterson said. “But we did it because it was available. But now we're looking to actually create a park and make it accessible for our community. Look at this view. It's breathtaking.”
The bridge, park, and trail projects are all part of ROC the Riverway, an initiative intended to make better use of the Genesee River waterfront through Rochester, including High Falls.
ROC the Riverway was announced publicly in 2018, as was a $50 million investment from the state. Some of the projects include the Roc City Skatepark, redevelopment of the Joseph A. Floreano Riverside Convention Center, and renovations at the Blue Cross Arena.
