River Street Waterfront Improvement Project

This project received the 2006 ACEC NY Diamond Award for Engineering Excellence, and the Rochester Chapter of the American Public Works Association's 2006 Project of the Year Award.

In efforts to raise both public and professional interest in the port area of Rochester, FRA was selected to revitalize 2,800 linear feet of waterfront property between CSX right-of-way and the Genesee River.

Revitalization efforts included the design and development of:

- an aesthetically pleasing waterfront inviting to boaters and the general public,

- a series of multi-use walkways,

- parking areas,

- floating, retractable docks to service 10 – 50-foot recreational boats,

- a new boater services facility, and

- restoration of an historic train depot.

Given the site’s location in the historic Charlotte Harbortown District of Rochester, it was imperative that every design element preserve the character and integrity of the surrounding area, while also being easy to maintain.

While every waterfront development project offers a host of natural challenges that engineering teams must typically overcome, River Street’s challenges were far greater. From the beginning, the site’s location required environmental sensitivity, resulting in the planning of shoreline treatments to minimize impact on the local habitat. Shortly after the project began, however, a train derailed, spilling a large amount of hazardous material within project limits. The FRA team needed to quickly develop additional shoreline treatments that would prevent the material from contaminating the river. In addition, nearby construction of the O’Rorke Bascule Lift Bridge disturbed a large portion of the project site, which made it difficult to determine final site configuration and grade. Lastly, climatic and riverbed conditions required the design of both an innovative retractable dock system and timber pedestrian walkway.

The FRA team was able to combine innovative expertise in water resource engineering with the City’s vision to achieve the project’s overall goals. Three design elements, in particular, stand out:

1. Boater Services Building: Located adjacent to an existing historic train depot (circa 1900), this facility’s design had to balance old-world architectural flair with the use of modern materials. In using composite siding and trim, radiant floor heating, and a concrete cassion-supported foundation, FRA’s building design harmonized with the train depot, while still meeting modern design requirements.

2. Timber Walkway (Pedestrian Promenade): Riverbed conditions and the location of the existing railroad placed tight constraints on the design of pedestrian promenade, which had to support both pedestrians and emergency vehicles. Highly variable and shallow riverbed rock conditions required a rigid design to support the high loading requirements.

3. Retractable Floating Docks: The City desired a dock design that would be economical to maintain. The river’s shallow rock conditions, combined with heavy winter ice, initially precluded use of floating or timber pile-supported docks. However, high water fluctuations made floating docks an interesting option. Therefore, FRA came up with a floating dock design that can be easily retracted during the winter months, yet stay in the water year-round.

Although challenging, this project allowed the FRA team to demonstrate their proficiency in problem solving and innovative design. By focusing on client needs, a successful project was delivered that will benefit Rochester residents, visitors, and water enthusiasts for years to come.