by Glenn Tschimpke
Staff Writer
Construction started this week on the Northbank Riverwalk extension east of the Landing. Workers began the four-month project by removing the existing sidewalk along Coastline Drive in front of the Adam’s Mark Hotel to make way for a lushly landscaped pedestrian thoroughfare.
“Basically, we’ve got demolition from Newnan all the way to Liberty Street,” said contractor Craig Hagenson of Orlando-based Valley Crest Landscape, Inc. “The sidewalk is going to go away. We’re going to get new pavers, new planters, new trees and irrigated landscaping all along.”
Because much of this section of the Riverwalk is being constructed on an existing raised, bridge-like portion of infrastructure along the St. Johns River, all landscaping will be placed in planters, including large Phoenix date palms that will line the walkway.
“With any park, you envision trees,” said project manager Melody Bishop of Akel, Logan and Shafer PA. “Because it’s on a bridge deck, any landscaping we do has to be in planters.”
Vintage-style light fixtures will be added to illuminate the 24-foot wide concrete and brick paver surface.
Although weight concerns precipitated preliminary testing by engineers, Hagenson said working with a bridge makes his job easier.
“Actually, it makes it a lot easier because we don’t have to worry about compacting material [like dirt],” he said. “We’re pouring new concrete right on top of existing concrete.”
Added Bishop: “The good news is you don’t have any settlement problems. In this case, because it’s concrete, you don’t have any settlement.”
To punctuate the landscaping, artwork will be placed along the walkway. On March 1, the River Runner statue, commemorating those who participate in the annual Gate River Run, is scheduled to be dedicated at the Newnan Street access. Sometime toward the completion of this section of the Riverwalk in late spring, another sculpture recognizing the Great Fire of 1901 will be placed at Market Street.
The Riverwalk extension is part of the Downtown Development Authority’s Downtown Master Plan. Adopted in May 2000, the plan calls for a Riverwalk that would extend from Metropolitan Park near Alltel Stadium to Riverside Park just beyond the Fuller Warren Bridge. The total cost of the Riverwalk is estimated at nearly $15 million.