Phenix City Riverwalk to gain a thousand feet
Work on extension to 14th Street begins in 2 weeks
Posted on Tue, Jul. 20, 2004
BY JERRY F. RUTLEDGE
Staff Writer
The Phenix City Riverwalk is about to get a little longer.
Construction is expected to begin on Phase III of the Phenix City Riverwalk, which will extend it from just south of the 13th Street Bridge to the Horace King Memorial Bridge at 14th Street.
The work on Phase III of the Riverwalk is expected to begin in two weeks, said Larry Kite, city engineer for Phenix City.
Gerald Brooks Construction has been awarded the construction contract, which is expected to cost $2.1 million and take 180 days to complete, with mid-January 2005 the target date for completion. The bids were let May 26.
The new section will consist of a single-span bridge over the western end of the Eagle-Phenix Dam, extending under the 13th Street bridge. The Riverwalk will then run along the banks of the Chattahoochee River before going up to the 14th Street bridge. There, a plaza will be built where the bridge ends in Phenix City. The new phase is 1,072 feet in length.
"The purpose is to tie in with what Columbus plans to do with the 14th Street pedestrian bridge," said Kite.
The 14th Street Bridge, which has been closed to traffic since shortly after the opening of the 13th Street Bridge several years ago, is expected to be improved and converted into a pedestrian plaza connecting the Phenix City Riverwalk with the Chattahoochee Riverwalk on the Georgia side of the river.
The work is part of the Columbus-Phenix City Transportation Program for 2005-2007. Phenix City will pay for a portion of the project as part of a $14 million bond issue the city approved in May. The Riverwalk was one of several city projects listed, including a $100,000 grant match and $1 million for land. Federal funds also are expected to be used, according to the transportation plan.
Kite said there are no plans to extend the Riverwalk beyond 14th Street to the north and the Phenix City Amphitheater to the south.
Phenix City is involved in a continuing process to re-shape its riverfront and downtown area, with the Riverwalk a key part of the overall development pla
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Contact Erin Simpson at (706) 571-8586 or esimpson@ledger-enquirer.com