Arbor Hill Elementary School students not only have a newly renovated school -- they have a brand new bridge that takes them there.

The City of Albany built the bridge, which spans Manning Boulevard and links the school to a path on a hill just behind the Skyline Garden Apartments on Lark Street. The new structure replaces a decades-old bridge that was demolished in 2008.

On a sunny Sept. 15, School Superintendent Raymond Colucciello, Ed.D. and Arbor Hill Elementary School Principal Rosalind Gaines-Harrell and her students joined Albany Mayor Gerald Jennings and Councilwoman Barbara Smith at a ribbon-cutting ceremony that officially acknowledged the opening of the bridge.

Scroll down to see the highlights of the day, and click on each photo to view a larger version. Return to the Photo Gallery home page or the Online News Center home page.

Arbor HIll Elementary School students patiently wait for the festivities to begin.

Mayor Jennings discusses the community input that helped bring about construction of the bridge. On the right,

Principal Rosalind Gaines-Harrell talks to a TV reporter.

Arbor Hill Elementary School students help the mayor and superintendent make the official cut. On the right,

Dr. Colucciello gives souvenir pieces of ribbon to the students.

At the foot of the bridge, on the school side, is a monument with ceramic tiles that were designed by Arbor Hill

Elementary students and teachers. On the left are a sample of the colorful tiles, which will be changed every year.

At right, two students like what they see.

Arbor Hill Elementary School sits in the background while people in the foreground use the new bridge.