I am a Rochester-area software engineer who builds things end to end: products, infrastructure, and tools that solve real problems instead of looking clever on a slide deck. I write that work in public at josephecombs.com: local AI experiments, self-hosted systems, automation, and other technical projects that start with a sharp itch and end in working code.
The Great Rochester Slide is that same builder instinct aimed at High Falls. A permanent, safety-engineered attraction on Pont de Rennes, financed cleanly, and documented out in the open so the City, the state, and neighbors can see how the idea is taking shape. It is meant as a free public good: no ticket, no fare.
Where this stands
The project is in pre-feasibility, not construction. In August 2026 I opened a pre-application conversation with Empire State Development’s Finger Lakes office about the Rochester–Monroe Transformation Initiative, a state capital program. ESD then introduced the idea to the City of Rochester’s Department of Environmental Services, which owns and operates Pont de Rennes.
There is no City endorsement, no grant award, and no CFA on file. The work in front of us is orientation: whether the City will discuss a feasibility look at a free public slide on the bridge, who would be the eligible applicant, and how that sequences with High Falls State Park.
Follow the progress log for dated notes, or reach me at [email protected].