Maddox: New Updates on $21.5 Million Western Riverwalk Expansion in Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox took time Friday to update residents on the progress of the $21.5 million expansion of the Western Riverwalk, which is scheduled to start Summer of 2022.

Maddox has said in the past that the goal of this project is to better connect Downtown Tuscaloosa and make it more viable for foot traffic.

The budget is allocated from several different revenue streams, including:

• Elevate Tuscaloosa: $5.7 million
• USDOT Build Grant: $15 million
• ADECA Grant: $400,000
• Misc. City Funds: $350,000

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This Western Riverwalk budget does not include the $7.5 million investment going towards River District Park, which will be the trailhead for this new expansion.

The expansion will be divided up into four phases:

1. The ADECA grant will help construct the Riverwalk extension heading west from the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater. The stretch will be about 1,000 long, and will connect with a portion of path that will be build as a part of an improvement project along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Jack Warner Parkway
2. A Pedestrian Bridge over Jack Warner Parkway will connect the River District Park and the Amphitheater to the soon-to-be Saban Center and Downtown Tuscaloosa
3. The Black Warrior River Barge Moorings Project will allow the City to relocate the barges away from the lock wall
4. The final portion of the Western Riverwalk trail will run across Tuscaloosa Country Club property. There will also be another trailhead constructed around the old lock wall.

Below is a map of the entire Western Riverwalk expansion, and each segment's funding sources:

The first phase of construction will begin in Summer 2022, once phase one one the Martin Luther King Jr./Jack Warner Parkway improvements are complete.

Phase two of the Western Riverwalk expansion should start Winter 2022 as River District Park concludes its construction.

Phases three and four will come much later down the road, as Maddox explained they will require extensive work and approvals by the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

"Frankly, this will be a time consuming process," Maddox said. "But, once all the permissions and approvals are granted, we look forward to beginning construction on the last two phases."

Construction on the River District Park trailhead is set to begin sometime in November.

To learn more about this expansion, read the full Mayor's Minute here.