Centerway Pedestrian Bridge

The Centerway Pedestrian Bridge was built in 1921 as a pedestrian and vehicular bridge. It is a filled spandrel concrete deck arch bridge. This bridge, along with the nearby Chemung River bridge were the main river crossings in this area.

The Brisco Bridge was built in 1979 to replace the deteriorating Centerway Bridge, and the Centerway Bridge was slated for demolition the following year. However, hundreds of people gathered on the bridge to try and get the bridge preserved as a landmark. They were successful, the bridge underwent an extensive renovation instead of being torn down. It re-opened in 1986 for use by pedestrians, bicyclists, and double-decker, English-style buses carrying tourists from the Corning Museum of Glass to the Market Street Historic District. The use of the bridge by the buses eventually ended, but it remains a popular destination for pedestrians.

The bridge underwent another renovation from 2012 to 2013. This project included a 100% hands-on inspection of the concrete arch, concrete spandrel walls, piers, and abutments, a visual inspection of the parapets and deck, and a Service Life Assessment. This inspection showed significant spalling and concrete degradation in the concrete abutments, wingwalls, spandrel walls, and arches. This led to a significant restoration project. The ends of the piers and abutments were reconstructed, along with partial depth concrete spall repairs and surface sealing. The spandrel walls were resurfaced with precast panels, which utilized surface texturing to evoke the historic façade. The parapets were removed, and were replaced with a similar parapet that included bump-outs for the new lighting. The arches were strengthened and partial depth concrete repairs were performed. This project also created a park on top of the bridge to reduce the paved area. It now features green lawns, perennial gardens, interactive bronze animal tracks, benches, lighting, a painted maze, and interpretive signage highlighting the history of the area.