Blog: South Waterfront Blog

Elevator, Key Connection to Join Sections of South Waterfront Riverwalk

It's tantalizing to imagine - a continuous half-mile of South Waterfront riverwalk that will connect three major residential developments and an international headquarters, while also offering some of the best views of downtown and Neyland Stadium to residents and visitors, pedestrians and bicyclists alike.

But it won't be left to the imagination for much longer.

By the end of 2018, the new public riverwalk and its accompanying public venues - a 37,500-square-foot public event space adjacent to the Henley Bridge, a civic space connecting Blount Avenue to the riverwalk, and a pocket park - are scheduled to be finished.

The 2,925-foot riverwalk will connect Regal Entertainment Group's headquarters on the eastern end, near the Gay Street Bridge, with the One Riverwalk and 303 Flats apartments, flanking both sides of the Henley Bridge. The greenway will then continue westward, connecting to the CityView at Riverwalk condominiums.

Here's the really cool part: Beginning this summer, the developer, with the City's support, will be constructing a unique connection that allows riverwalk users to safely and easily cross under the Norfolk Southern railroad line overpass. Because there's a 50-foot change in elevation, an elevator will be installed to get walkers and cyclists from one side to the other.

City Council last month authorized an agreement with Norfolk Southern that allows the installation to get underway, once the legal details are formalized.

This section of riverwalk at CityView will be connected later this year to new sections of riverwalk under construction. The combined riverwalk will stretch a half mile from Regal Entertainment Group's headquarters at the Gay Street Bridge to CityView condos, well west of the Henley Bridge and Norfolk Southern railroad line.

The new half-mile riverwalk will feature a multi-use path for bicyclists and pedestrians that will be 20 to 30 feet in width. It will include benches, trash receptacles, bike racks and lighting. The riverwalk will connect the residential apartments and the student housing by going under the Henley Bridge.

"All aspects of these projects are exciting, and this is the year that they all come to fruition," said Dawn Michelle Foster, the City's Redevelopment Director. "First of all, there's more than $115 million in new private investment in what had recently been a blighted property. Then, there's the attention to open space for public venues, like the amphitheater, which will be roughly the size of Market Square.

"The riverwalk will be a real gem in its own right - a greenway situated on the bluff with spectacular views of the Tennessee River and the downtown skyline. It can also serve as an alternate transportation option, a convenient one, for connecting people with destinations along the South Waterfront. And it will encourage even more walkability across both the Gay Street and Henley bridges to and from downtown."

A strategically placed connection and elevator will link this existing public riverwalk at CityView condominiums with new sections of riverwalk under construction.

Crews last summer began building the new public riverwalk at the 303 Flats apartment complex. This section of riverwalk next to the Henley Bridge, another at One Riverwalk, and an elevator connection at the Norfolk Southern railroad line are all to be finished and linked by the end of 2018.

Posted by evreeland On 14 February, 2018 at 4:09 PM