TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa’s iconic Riverwalk is expanding to the west side of the Hillsborough River, and on Thursday residents will have the chance to learn and weigh in about the project.
The city is calling the roughly 5-mile long expansion project the West River BUILD. Construction will take place in six segments and include two miles of the Riverwalk on the west bank of the Hillsborough River.
The additional three miles will includes areas of Platt Street, Rome Avenue, Columbus Drive, the Ridgewood Park Neighborhood, Plant Park, and the University of Tampa. The Riverwalk extension will essentially loop together neighborhoods with the west side of the Riverwalk.
What You Need To Know
The new stretch of Riverwalk will include portions of nearby neighborhoods and be about 5 miles long
$24 million in federal funds to be used in construction
Groundbreaking set for October 28
LEARN MORE: Public Information meeting set for Thursday evening
Big changes to the neighborhood streets include new pavement, guard rails, crosswalks, sidewalks, lighting, landscaping, and some areas will get dedicated and fully-protected bicycle lanes.
Before the formal groundbreaking in late October, residents are invited to a public information meeting on Thursday, October 16 from 6 – 8 p.m. at the Beulah Baptist Institutional Church & A. Leon Lowry Senior Center located at 1006 W. Cypress Street in Tampa.
“Something we’re focusing on in the City of Tampa is trying to create these entire walkable neighborhoods where people can get all the services they want without having to get into a car,” explained Tampa Mayor Jane Castor.
Lennise and Omar Germany were excited to see that the new Riverwalk expansion would be going directly past the space where they are building out their new restaurant. The couple has owned and operated LivyO’s Catering for the past 11 years, and recently decided to expand with a new restaurant concept.
They plan to open Kulture Kitchen in the coming months, located on the ground floor of the new Renaissance building on W Main Street and Rome Ave.
Lennise says their new restaurant will be a fusion of many of the cultures that makes Tampa what it is. They plan to have a sprawling bar facing the kitchen, loft style seating, cozy places to sit, as well as outdoor dining. The couple says they agreed to open the restaurant after they were contacted by the Tampa Housing Authority, initially unaware about the new Riverwalk expansion.
The additional traffic and new streetscape by their business, Lennise says, is an added bonus.
“To have people coming by on a day to day basis maybe even getting to know you on a first name basis… you can’t buy that,” she said.
The 5-mile exertion will create a 12.2-mile multi-use pathway, when incorporated with the current riverwalk on the city’s east side. A formal groundbreaking is set for October 28.
The project will cost about $57 million. A $24M award from the U.S. Department of Transportation under the Better Utilizing Investments to the Leverage Development (BUILD) Transportation Discretionary Grant Program will help pay for part of the project.
ICYMI: The West Riverwalk will connect Downtown to 12 neighborhoods including West Tampa & Riverside Heights. The approx. 5mi project will also fill gaps to create a 12.2mi multi-use pathway and increase safety at major roadway crossings.
Learn more: https://t.co/ydA3K4fKeA pic.twitter.com/qB5tcGGuXs
— City of Tampa (@CityofTampa) December 12, 2024