Rochester, NY Bridges on the Genesee River - Part 2

We looked at a number of the bridges crossing the Genesee River in Rochester going North from the Balantyne Rd. bridge to the Main Street bridge. Let's continue on from the Sister Cities bridge to the Hojak bridge.

• Sister Cities Pedestrian Bridge - This pedestrian bridge, little used and in disrepair was dedicated in 1975. In 2006 the bridge was renamed the Frank and Janet Lamb Sister Cities Bridge, in honor of Rochester's 61st mayor and his wife.
  

• Andrews Street Bridge - The original bridge on the Andrew St. site, a wooden truss bridge, was built in 1826. An iron bridge replaced the original in 1857 and the current stone structure was built in 1893.
  

• I-490 Inner Loop - This bridge is located just south of the High Falls of the Genesee River. It was near this area that a number of mills were located in the city's early years.
  

• Railroad Bridge - This bridge parallels the Inner Loop and is Amtrak line running east and west through Rochester. The bridge actually has three tracks on it.
  

• Pont de Rennes Pedestrian Bridge - This bridge, named after one of Rochester's sister cities in France, was created in 1982 from what then was the Platt Street Bridge, a truss bridge. The original bridge was erected in 1891. The street that crosses the bridge in additional to Platt Street is also called Morrie Silver Way, the individual who was instrumental with keeping the Rochester Red Wings International League team in Rochester. Before reaching the Genesee River on the west side the street passes Frontier Field, the present home of the Red Wings.
  

• Smith Street (Bausch Street) Bridge - This site on the Genesee River has had a bridge since 1873 when the Vincent Street Bridge was erected. This truss bridge was used until 1892 when it was deemed unsafe by the Commission of Public Works. A second truss was added, thereby strengthening the bridge and it was reopened and renamed the Smith Street Bridge. The current bridge at this location was replaced by the steel Bausch Street Bridge in 1930.
  

• Driving Park Bridge - A number of bridges have been erected at the site of the current Driving Park Bridge, the first being the wooden Cartage Bridge erected in 1819. At the time it was the 196 ft above the river and described as "one of the wonders of the world." It was apparently not much of a "wonder" as it collapsed after only fifteen months. In 1827 another wooden bridge was erected to replace the Cartage Bridge but that, located much lower and closer to the falls, was washed away by flood. In 1835 a third wooden bridge was erected and that too was washed away by flood. The next was a suspension bridge which was opened in 1857 but collapsed the following year. In 1919 a wrought iron bridge was erected and that lasted until 1989 when it was demolished and replaced by the current span.
  

• Veterans Memorial Bridge - At this location the old Veterans Memorial Bridge is a part of the Keeler Expressway (Route 104). The original Veterans Memorial was built in 1931. In addition to the motor traffic, there is a pedestrian over the river in the same location.
  

• Seneca Maplewood Gorge Foot Bridge - The foot bridge, as its name implies, provides a pedestrian path over the Genesee River from Seneca Park on the east side to Maplewood Park on the west side. I don't know when this bridge was erected but I do not recall it being there when I lived in the city (until 1970).
  

• Patrick O'Rorke Memorial Bridge - This bridge replaced the Stutson Street Bridge in 2004. It is crosses the river at Pattonwood Drive about a block south of Stutson Street. The Stutson Street Bridge, a lift bridge, was erected in 1916 shortly after Charlotte was annexed into the city. The new O'Rorke bridge was named after one of Rochester's Civil War heroes. Patrick O'Rorke, a native of County Cavan, Ireland, came with his family to Rochester. After public school education in Rochester he was appointed to West Point where he graduated first in his class in 1861. He commanded the 140th New York Volunteer Infantry and was killed on the second day at the Battle of Gettysburg on Little Round top. He is buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery on Lake Avenue.
  

• Hojak Bridge - This railroad bridge is a swing bridge is in the center of the Genesee River near the entrance to Lake Ontario and is in a permanently opened position. The bridge was built for the New York Central Railroad in 1905 for the Hojack line that ran from Niagara Falls to Oswego. Although the bridge is no longer used for any railroad, there is currently an effort underway to save the bridge as a tourist site.

Additional informational concerning the Genesee River bridges is available at Vintage Views of Rochester.

Rochester, NY Bridges on the Genesee River - Part 1

I knew that there were a number of bridges crossing the Genesee River in Rochester. Most are traffic bridges and some railroad bridges. One type that I was nor aware of were pedestrian bridges. I don't recall any pedestrian bridges when I lived there but there may have been some. The bridges from the southern boundary of the city north to Lake Ontario are:

• Balantyne/Jefferson Rd. Bridge - This first bridge I find is actually located in the Town of Henrietta and is not in the city. When I lived in Rochester this bridge was a two lane truss bridge built in 1913 but has since been replaced by a four lane rigid frame type.

• Conrail Bridge - Just up-river from the Balantyne Rd. Bridge is a railroad bridge for one of the Conrail lines in Rochester. The line crosses Scottsville Rd., the Genesee River and East River Rd. This Conrail line goes east to Fairport and then follows the Erie Canal east.

• Interstate-390 - I-390, the Outer Loop (we'll see the Inner Loop soon), crosses the river just south of the Erie Canal.

• Erie Canal - Obviously not a bridge but a significant crossing of the Genesee River. The Erie Canal crossing here is the city line and also at this point Scottsville Rd. changes to Genesee St. This location at the southwest corner of the city was not the original site of the canal. It's original route took it to downtown Rochester where it crossed the Genesee in an aqueduct. The route was changed in the early 1900's.

• Elmwood Ave - This bridge in the northern portion of Genesee Valley Park takes motorists from the 19th Ward area on the west side to the University of Rochester/Strong Memorial Hospital area on the east side. The original bridge, a iron truss bridge, was constructed in 1888. The original truss bridge was replaced by a rigid frame type in the 1930's.
  

• Pedestrian Bridge to University of Rochester - This bridge, also called the South River Corridor Pedestrian Bridge, was built in 1991 to link the 19th Ward to the University of Rochester.
  

• Erie Lackawanna Railroad Bridge - According to a study done for the City of Rochester to investigate the use of this bridge site as a part of the Genesee Riverway Trails complex, a railroad bridge has been at this location on the Genesee River since the 1850s. The current bridge has been there since the early 1900s and was in use for freight until 1971.

• Ford Street - This bridge, previously called the Clarissa St. bridge, was built in 2000. The original bridge at this point was a wooden truss bridge built in 1844. In 1862 an iron bridge was built at the same site, and this in turn was replaced in 1892 with an iron truss bridge. Finally, the Clarissa St. Bridge that I remember was built in 1918.
  

• I-490 Inner Loop - Because the Inner Loop does, as its name implies, loop around the downtown area of Rochester, we will find another I-490 bridge as we move north on the river. This particular location was the site of the Troup-Howell Bridge prior to the construction of the Inner Loop. Troup-Howell was constructed in 1954 and had major renovations as part of the Inner Loop until its replacement by the Frederick Douglass-Susan B. Anthony Memorial Bridge in 2007. (This is without a doubt one of the longest bridge names I have ever heard!)

• Court Street Bridge - The original Court Street Bridge was a plank bridge which was replaced by a truss bridge in 1858 and the current bridge (with alterations and renovations), a stone arch bridge, was built in 1893.
  

• Broad Street Bridge - This is probably one of the most interesting bridge on the Genesee River. This bridge was built on top of the Erie Canal aqueduct. This is the site of the original crossing of the Erie Canal over the Genesee River. When the canal was rerouted to the southern part of the city in 1919, the canal bed was sold to the city for use as part of a subway system. Tracks were laid, a concrete roof was built over the top and that became Broad Street.
  

• Main Street - When I grew up in Rochester one could not see the Genesee River as Main Street crossed it. Today there are no buildings on the bridge and one can see the river.

The Main Street bridge is probably a good place to stop for now. A follow-on post will talk about the additional eleven bridges that cross the Genesee in Rochester.