There’s a big maintenance project underway at one of Rochester’s best-known bridges.
The project is what Governor Kathy Hochul describes as a $5.3 million preventive maintenance painting project on the Frederick Douglass-Susan B. Anthony Bridge, which carries I-490 over the Genesee River.
Hochul says it’s the first major maintenance project of this type to take place on the span since it first opened to traffic in 2007.
That bridge replaced the former Troup-Howell Bridge. The Douglass-Anthony Bridge honors the legacy of Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony, whose gravesites are both in Mount Hope Cemetery.
The maintenance project, which began Monday, will see each of the bridge’s three main arches and 12 braces have the current paint removed and then reapplied with coats of zinc-based and epoxy-based paint that are resilient against the elements and protect the structural steel from wear and corrosion. The bridge color will remain the same.
Officials said the new coat is anticipated to last another 10-15 years before another application is needed.
The funding from the project comes from the federal government.
Traffic along I-490 in both directions will remain open during the project. Most of the work will take place during nighttime hours, and officials say there may be some short-term closures of nearby ramps at times.
The project is expected to be completed by the fall of 2025.
