An extension of the Downtown Southbank Riverwalk is in permitting review on a timeline for completion in less than two years, a city official told the Downtown Development Review Board on Jan. 8.
Jill Enz of the city’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services department said the 1,200-foot extension would connect the Riverwalk from Baptist Medical Center to the Fuller Warren Bridge Shared Use Path.
Enz, the department’s chief of natural and marine resources, said the new portion would include two bump-outs with custom shade structures, benches and landscaping. The walkway will be 17 feet wide.
The shade structures will be on the east side, which will expose the walkway to the afternoon and evening sun but provide open views of the river and Downtown skyline.
Presentation materials for the project stated the project is fully funded through the city’s Capital Improvement Plan, with $7.1 million allocated in the fiscal year 2025 budget for the extension and enhancement.
A timeline calls for 60 days of permitting, 30 days for bidding and 18 months for construction.
The presentation materials called the extension a missing link in the Riverwalk, which stretches about 3 miles on the north and south banks.
Another extension at the $693 million RiversEdge mixed-use project was completed in November 2025. That property is the former site of the JEA Southside Generating Plant.
Jacksonville-based Haskell, which built other portions of the Riverwalk, is the contractor.
Enz said the extension was designed to “carry momentum” from the Shared Use Path to the Southbank.
The $126 million Shared Use Path, completed in 2023, added a 4,600-foot walking and cycling pathway to the bridge, connecting Riverside to San Marco. The Florida Department of Transportation headed the project in collaboration with the city.