Progress continues for NKY's Riverfront Commons project

Fresh concrete now lines a bike path along the Covington riverfront below the Brent Spence Bridge. The path is a sign of progress for Northern Kentucky's Riverfront Commons, a multimillion-dollar, 11-mile trail project planned along the Kentucky side of the Ohio River. It will pass through Ludlow, Covington, Newport, Bellevue, Dayton and Fort Thomas. Southbank Partners is working with the Northern Kentucky communities on the Riverfront Commons. The West Walk portion of Riverfront Commons in Covington is one of two phases planned for the city. The second phase will include fountains, scuptures and waterfalls. "We probably will be coming out of the ground with this early next spring," Jack Moreland, president of Southbank Partners, said. A grant will cover $4 million. Donors are also chipping in. Moreland said two anonymous donors have pledged $1 million each. Financing everything is one obstacle. Erosion along the river is another. Several areas need to be stabilized. That will involve the Army Corps of Engineers, as well as more time and money. "The reality of it is that this will take another five or six years probably," Moreland said. A section of the Riverfront Commons in Ludlow was completed this summer. There is money available to begin work on several other sections by next spring. The total project is expected to cost more than $30 million.