Funding has been approved for a bicycle and walking path, called Riverfront Commons, in
Newport,
Ludlow and
Covington. A section of Newport’s path is already underway, and five construction projects are planned for this summer. The project is expected to take about 10 years, and will eventually link six Northern Kentucky cities.
The 11.5-mile trail will link tourism spots in
Ft. Thomas,
Dayton,
Bellevue, Newport, Covington and Ludlow. The trail will take nature lovers to hotspots like
Newport on the Levee,
New Riff Distilling at Party Source and the Covington Landing, including sightseeing spots along the Ohio River.
A ramp and steps will provide a walking or riding path for travelers on the
Purple People Bridge and those visiting Newport on the Levee. There will also be a walkway on top of the floodwall east of the Levee that will end at the I-471 bridge.
The next Newport project, which is to be built later this summer, will provide a second ramp on Dave Cowens Drive with a walkway that ends at Riviera Drive.
Southbank Partners wrote grants for $2 million in funding for Riverfront Commons, and has received approval for $1 million. Funding came from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet through the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments. The City of Newport also contributed the Community Development Block Grant funding for the Riverfront Commons construction at Newport on the Levee.
The shoreline will be stabilized with vegetation and structural features that will reshore the natural habitat, reduce runoff and increase water quality along Riverfront Commons.
About $250,000 in Surface Kentucky grant funds will be used in late summer or early fall in Ludlow. The project will create 3,000 feet of a 12-foot-wide trail behind Ludlow Memorial Park, continuing past James Rigney Memorial Stadium. Another $250,000 will go toward the construction of a trail base that will begin at Covington Landing and go to Ky. 8 in west Covington.
By Caitlin Koenig
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