COVINGTON, KY – On Tuesday evening, the Mayor and Board of Commissioners approved an order awarding the Riverfront Commons Project construction bid to Sunesis Construction.
The bid awards $1,280,480 to Sunesis to begin the construction of pieces of the Riverfront Commons project in the Northern Kentucky river cities of Ludlow, Newport and Covington.
Covington’s current plans for Riverfront Commons can be divided into two phases. Phase 1 includes the construction of the West Walk, an 8- foot wide multi-model path located along the river side of the levee from the base of Madison Avenue heading west toward Highway Avenue.
Phase 2 will feature the plaza portion of the Riverfront Commons project and will run along Madison Avenue to Riverside Place, allowing convenient riverfront access to the public. While specific amenities for this phase of the project are still to be determined, the initial base plan for the project is complete.
The City worked with Human Nature and Woolpert, Inc. to develop a variety of amenity enhancements for this portion of the project, attracting visitors to the Riverfront and creating a regional hub for civic gatherings.
Potential enhancements include recreational amenities, water features, zip lines, river access for water sports and activities, event and gathering areas, and artistic features. To view the draft renderings developed by Woolpert, Inc., Human Nature, and Kolar Design, click here.
Phase 1 is funded in part thanks to federal grants that were awarded to Covington and the two other river cities. The City was also awarded a $5 million Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) grant to construct the base plan of Phase 2, but will need additional funds to complete the amenity portion of the project.
The City will continue its fundraising efforts to pay for the construction of Phase 2, reaching out to multiple sources who have expressed interest in donating to the project.
Development Director/City Engineer Mike Yeager stated, “We’re very excited to start construction for this project. The Riverfront Commons allows the City the opportunity to strengthen the connections between the riverfront, Covington’s neighborhoods, and Cincinnati’s riverfront.”
Construction is expected to start as early as May and will be completed this year.
Sunesis Construction is a heavy construction civil contractor operating in both the public and private sectors. The construction company has worked on other local projects such as the construction on Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.