RIVERFRONT REVITALIZATION
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DONALDSONVILLE RIVERFRONTREVITALIZATION
The City of Donaldsonville, LA, has formed apartnership with the U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers, Ascension Parish Department ofEconomic Development, Capital RegionalPlanning Commission (CRPC), U.S. Department ofCommerce’s Economic DevelopmentAdministration (EDA), and the
Lower Mississippi
AHR to plan, design, and fund a visitor’s centerand riverfront improvements in Donaldsonville.The city is a tourism gateway to historicplantations along the river in southeast Louisianaand is known as the birthplace of New Orleans-style jazz. Located halfway between Baton Rougeand New Orleans, the city plans to expand adowntown visitor center with exhibits on rivertransportation; antebellum, Civil War, andVictorian history; and the heritage of the HoumaIndians. Both the Corps and CRPC havecommitted to conduct survey plans for adding asteamboat landing and riverview park, theequivalent of over $250,000 in federal assistance.
ENHANCING ACCESS TOTHE RIVER
Local residents and visitors to downtownWilkes-Barre, PA, will have easier access to the
Upper Susquehanna River
and a proposedriverfront park, thanks to a major modification tothe $175 million U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’Wyoming Valley Levee Raising flood controlproject. Three cuts, or portals, in the floodwall willbe constructed to afford easy pedestrian access tothe river for recreation. The agreement also savesnearly one hundred trees on the river commonsby authorizing the construction of a concrete-capped rock pile wall rather than an earthenembankment for flood protection in downtown
The Eads Bridge, St. Louis, Missouri
Wilkes-Barre. The proposed riverfront park isplanned to have trails, an amphitheater, boatdock, gardens, and other amenities.
ALONG THE RIVER
The City of Central Falls, RI, received an $83,000grant from EDA for the next phase of riverfrontredevelopment along the
Blackstone River
.An oldbuilding along the river has been taken down, andplans are in the works to rehabilitate theremaining historic mill building to create a centerfor eco-tourism. Plans include an educationcenter, restaurant, shops, and a waterfrontlaunching area for the Blackstone River ValleyExplorer and Canal Boats. Elsewhere, USDOTEnhancement funds are being used for historicpreservation and streetscape improvements inWoonsocket, Lincoln, Cumberland, Pawtucket andother Rhode Island communities.
ARCHWAY OF SUCCESS
The City of St. Louis, MO, is currently involvedin downtown development plans for the
Upper Mississippi
riverfront. These plans includecreating hiking and biking trails, improving accessto the riverfront, and adding greenspace. Thiswork also includes the development of a regionalGreat River Resource Center that will drawnational attention to the Upper Mississippi RiverRegion and present the history of rivertransportation. Revitalization efforts are also wellunderway in the Quad Cities of Illinois (RockIsland and Moline) and Iowa (Davenport andBettendorf) including new riverfront trails andparkways along with restoration and reuse of arailway depot and other vacant structures.
CROSSING THE RIVER
Just north of the majestic Gateway Arch in St.Louis, MO, stands a monument from another era,the James Buchanan Eads Bridge with its threemassive steel arches, linking East St. Louis, IL,and St. Louis, MO. Eads Bridge was completed in1874 and was the engineering and constructionfeat of its day, a double-deck bridge for rail,highway, and pedestrian traffic. As the first majorcrossing of the Mississippi River, the Eads Bridgebecame a critical link in the transcontinentalrailroad, and it accelerated St. Louis’ developmentas the “Gateway to the West.” One of the
Upper Mississippi River
keystone projects is theaddition of a pedestrian promenade. Otherplanned improvements include adding replicas ofthe original railings and restoring the brickworkand hanging acorn-style light fixtures. Trailnet, alocal nonprofit group, with help from St. LouisMayor Clarence Harmon, raised over $1 million inprivate pledges through a “Save the Eads Bridge”campaign to leverage additional federal and statefunding to complete this work
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