ROC the Riverway, Library terrace

 

Construction continues outside of the public library on the corner of Broad Street and South Ace.

The Rundel Library sits at the middle of downtown, between the Court street bridge and the Broad Street Bridge. The Broad Street bridge was, in a former life, an aquaduct that carried the Erie canal over the Genesee River in a sort of watery overpass. There will be more to say about the aquaduct in another post I'm sure.

The section of the Rundel Library is being reworked due in part to underlying structural issues. The Terrace sits atop the old subway tunnel. The new terrace is planned to be a more public space with a space for reading outside the library, and an additional cafe.

 

An artistic rendering of the planned new terrace overlooking the river. 

The initiative to rebuild the library terrace is all part of an ongoing effort to make downtown Rochester a place residents actually want to visit with walkable areas all centered along the Genessee river, connecting the South River, Downtown, High Falls, all the way up to the mouth of the river at Lake Ontario. The Broad Street bridge is another such effort and there are plans to pedestrianize the bridge and turn it into a park, which which this terrace will integrate.

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