Bates Street project finished as construction on RiverWalk's pavilions, boardwalk moves forward

A key piece to putting together the 5 1/2-mile RiverWalk along the Detroit River has been finished at the end of Bates Street, and crews are working on pavilions and other portions of the pathway.

The plan is for the walking and biking trail to extend from the Ambassador Bridge to just past Belle Isle’s MacArthur Bridge.

So far, you can travel a half mile on the RiverWalk, uninterrupted. But by the end of the year, there will be about 2 1/2 miles of consecutive walkway completed, representing about 75 percent of the East Riverfront project, says Faye Nelson, president and CEO of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy.

“If you go out now you see all that construction,” she says. "There’s major visible construction under way."

At the foot of Bates Street, a structural repair has been completed — a critical step to make way to build a boardwalk for the RiverWalk, Nelson says. The repair also fixes part of the city’s sewer system, preventing sewage backups from polluting the Detroit River. The work was made possible through efforts of the congressional delegation, the City of Detroit and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Other RiverWalk work going on now includes:

• At the foot of Rivard Street, crews are building a plaza — one of four planned for the RiverWalk. It will be open to the public in May 2007. It will include special water features, such as a water carousel.
• Work is also under way at the plaza for Gabriel Richard Park, at the far-east end of the RiverWalk. It will include water features and a butterfly garden.
• Crews are also putting in the boardwalk area in front of the Talon, Omni and Stroh, UAW-GM Center for Human Resources and Harbortown properties.

Sources: Faye Nelson, Detroit Riverfront Conservancy; City of Detroit