Efforts to build a biking and walking path along the Northern Kentucky riverfront are getting a big boost.
The federal government awarded the city of Bellevue and regional economic development nonprofit Southbank Partners a nearly $3.8 million RAISE grant last week to do final planning and design work for the 20-mile Riverfront Commons path between Ludlow and Melbourne, Ky.
The Biden Administration chose 162 projects across the country to receive more than $2 billion in Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grants.
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The U.S. Department of Transportation grant for Riverfront Commons will go toward design and planning work on the multi-use, walking and biking corridor along the Ohio River. Southbank Partners President and CEO Will Weber says the project will make it much safer and easier to travel around Northern Kentucky without a car.
"Riverfront Commons will significantly expand access across the NKY river cities by linking communities, neighborhoods, business districts, parks, and mixed-use developments," Weber said in a news release. "This grant will be a vital resource in bringing to life this transformational project as we bring vision to reality."
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Local governments along the route, including Bellevue, Newport, Covington and others, will contribute a 20% local match for the federal funding.