Rochester’s Pont de Rennes pedestrian bridge overlooking High Falls will reopen Friday after a lengthy restoration and renovation.
The bridge spans the Genesee River Gorge with the city’s High Falls District on one side and the Genesee Brewery on the other. The brewery will host its 10th annual keg tree lighting on Friday evening.
Work on the bridge began in summer 2023 and included structural repairs that became more involved than anticipated. That pushed the reopening back a few months.
And it inflated costs — from an original $14.6 million to a final $18.7 million, according to the city. The increased expense is attributed to "unforeseen steel beam repairs," a city spokesperson said.
The city also replaced the concrete bridge deck, and added overlook areas, new lighting, and landscaping features aimed at creating a more dynamic public space.
Built in 1891 as the Platt Street Bridge, it carried vehicular traffic until the 1970s. It was converted to a pedestrian walkway in the early 1980s, and named in tribute to its French sister city, Rennes.
This work is part of nearly $19 million in planned investment in the area that also includes already completed street and trail improvements.
The bridge is 858 feet long and rises 100 feet over the gorge and future High Falls State Park.
