"Promenade at Erie Harbor"
By: Ashley Zilka
Updated: July 3, 2012
After the successful Corn Hill Landing project, the city has proposed a promenade for the South Wedge area. City officials say it will give people easy access into downtown Rochester.
"I think it's a great idea. It lets people come into downtown. It's a great way to travel and if they clean it up, it will look great," said Connie Ange of Rochester.
The "Promenade at Erie Harbor" has been in the works since 2010. It's a city project designed to connect the South Wedge area into the city. Right now, the walking trail ends at South Avenue.
The city wants to extend this trail with the promenade. It will then connect to a pedestrian bridge.
"We are proposing to put a pedestrian bridge that runs over the river that connects the Court Street Bridge to this promenade," said James McIntosh, City Engineer.
The bridge will wrap around the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in downtown. McIntosh believes the promenade will be as successful as the similiar Corn Hill Landing project.
"The connections are great, but it's also more of marketing for housing and those kind of things. These are the kind of things you see in other cities," said McIntosh.
The city is currently in the design stage of the proposed project. Right now, McIntosh says they do not have an estimated cost.
"We turned our backs on the river for a really long time, so getting people access to the river is something that we are trying to do, and we really realize it's important for the city to provide that access, especially since people are returning downtown to live, work and play," said McIntosh.
The city will be accepting design proposals until August 3rd.
