The Idea
An iconic descent above High Falls
Why do this? Because it is fun. We do not have enough of that anymore. Rochester needs an attraction people actually care about: something that stitches this place together, gets bodies moving, and gives the city a shared thrill to point at.
The concept is a permanent, safety-engineered transparent slide experience integrated with the City-owned Pont de Rennes Bridge, complementary to High Falls State Park and ROC the Riverway.
Capital funding is being pursued through New York State’s Rochester–Monroe Transformation Initiative (RMTI) : a $225M Empire State Development capital grant pool applied via the Consolidated Funding Application (program ID 821). Ongoing operations would be backed by a separately raised reserve, not by treating grant dollars as an endowment.
The work is being advanced by Joe Combs, a Rochester-area builder documenting the path in public.
Latest
Progress updates
- August 31, 2026 ESD introduces the concept to City DES Finger Lakes staff introduced the project to David Riley at City DES. A City conversation is open. That is not endorsement or an award.
- August 12, 2026 ESD Finger Lakes replies: first real staff feedback Phone follow-up recovered a spam-filtered email; staff asked about City partnership and High Falls State Park design fit.
- August 10, 2026 RMTI pre-application opened with ESD Finger Lakes First formal step: emailed Empire State Development, locked program requirements, and assembled a concept brief.
Where
Pont de Rennes · Rochester, NY
Genesee River gorge at High Falls, Monroe County, ZIP 14605. The bridge is City-owned; the concept sits next door to the state’s High Falls State Park investment.