BRADENTON, Fla. — The Bradenton Riverwalk is growing, and construction to expand it is not too far away.
Because of its popularity, Bradenton’s City Administrator Carl Callahan said it was time to expand the Riverwalk, and the city agreed.
“If you have the space and you have the resources why not give the people more of what they want? The park belongs to the people and now there will be twice as much of it to love,” Jeannie Roberts said.
Roberts is the communications coordinator for the City of Bradenton.
“I work here at City Hall and a lot of people come out at lunchtime to take a walk up and down the Riverwalk,” Roberts said.
With a love of reading, you can find Roberts out on the Riverwalk almost every day.
“I’ll go out after work and enjoy myself, relax a little bit,” Roberts said. “Put a little space between the workday and home and the Riverwalk is right here, it’s beautiful, I love it!”
Renderings show what the east expansion may look like.
“We have met with people all along with the help of Realize Bradenton to ask people what they wanted in the last part of this expansion and so we’re in the business now of giving them what they want,” Roberts said.
On top of the Riverwalk's current 1.5-mile-long design, new plans show you’ll be able to enjoy an additional 1.25 miles once construction is complete. So, instead of stopping at Manatee Memorial Hospital, the Riverwalk will stretch down Riverside Drive East until you reach Manatee Mineral Springs Park. Renderings show paths leading over the water, a game patio, and even a history-themed peninsula.
Bradenton Riverwalk renderings
“The really great thing about it is there are educational things for kids,” Roberts said. “There is a butterfly garden, there’s marshland, the postcard series, there’s public art everywhere.”
Callahan and Roberts say the path will be filled with history. Riverwalk east will take walkers and bikers through the area where pioneers initially settled in Manatee County.
“Look at the postcard series, learn about where you’re standing, what happened there,” Roberts said. “There’s a lot of history there and we’re excited about sharing that with people.”
The project is divided into phases. The construction is set to start at Mineral Springs Park. What once was an archaeological dig site to search for history of the Angola runaway slave settlement, will be transformed into a beautiful park.
The designs are not finalized yet, but on Feb. 26 at City Hall, the council will approve 30 percent of the plans. Then, bit-by-bit, they'll come to a full agreement on the final design.
By the looks of it, the cost of this project is adding up. The city is looking at more than $7 million.
The city administrator tells us construction should start around fall or winter
What other people are reading right now:
- Death of doctor who warned of virus unleashes fury at Chinese officials
- Crews to assess damage left behind by storms
- Matt Gaetz files ethics complaint against Nancy Pelosi, but did she break the law ripping up State of the Union?
- 'Gray death' cases surge across the south. What you should know about the deadly new drug mix
- Pizza shop gets shut down for third time in 2 years
- Infant carriers sold at Target, Amazon recalled because baby could fall out
.