Commercial Development News - Appraisal Development International

Final phase of Riverwalk construction begins
By Marin Guta
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Jun 4, 2013

After 40 years of planning done by the combined efforts of six Tampa mayors, the city marked the beginning of construction to the final segment of Tampa Riverwalk on Tuesday.

The final phase includes the Kennedy Boulevard Plaza segment.

The Riverwalk is expected to span 1,460 feet of water on the eastern side of the Hillsborough River, running underneath the Kennedy Boulevard Bridge.

Once completed, the segment will link MacDill Park to Curtis Hixton Waterfront Park providing pedestrians and cyclists 1.8 miles of Riverwalk.

Former Mayor Pam Iorio was in attendance on Tuesday, and said Riverwalk will be an attractor for business.

"Young people they come at night and want to come downtown,â€ Iorio said. "What do you want to do after you've eaten? You want to take a walk along the river, right? This is the kind of thing that makes for a great downtown.â€

The total cost for the Kennedy segment is $9.2 million. The Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery IV covers 70 percent of the necessary funding for the project. The TIGER grant program includes a focus on providing safe passage for pedestrians, which helps to cover Riverwalk.

Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez hopes to gain more funding for the project, "as we look to the future for economic growth for the downtown area,â€ he said. "We are going to continue to work with all the cities in the nation, Tampa especially, to see what other opportunities there may be.â€

Marin Guta is an intern with the Tampa Bay Business Journal.