BELLEVUE, Ky. — Southbank Partners and the City of Bellevue have been awarded $3,774,940 from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) federal grant program, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced this week.
The funds will be used to complete the final pre-construction services (planning and designing) required for Riverfront Commons, a 20-mile, multiuse path/multimodal transportation corridor along the south bank of the Ohio River from Devou Park to Pendery Park.
The Biden-Harris Administration announced it has awarded more than $2.2 billion from the RAISE discretionary grant program to 162 different infrastructure projects across the country. Administered by USDOT, the RAISE grant program is a nationally competitive program that awards funding to projects with significant potential to enhance transportation infrastructure across the nation.
“Using the funds in President Biden’s infrastructure law, we are helping communities in every state across the country realize their visions for new infrastructure projects,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
The Riverfront Commons project will fund the planning and designing of an approximately 20- mile multimodal transportation corridor along the Ohio River in Northern Kentucky, between Ludlow and Melbourne. This process will move the entire corridor to a shovel ready state.
“Now with this grant we will be able to complete the planning and design work necessary on the outstanding sections of Riverfront Commons, a project that will realize a separate dedicated path for multi-modal use – improving safety and connectivity in our Northern Kentucky river cities,” said President & CEO of Southbank Partners Will Weber.
“Thanks to the outstanding support from over two dozen regional partners through Northern Kentucky and our diligent state and federal elected officials we were awarded a 2023 RAISE grant. This grant is the cumulation of work that began over 25 years ago by our city leaders determined to make a generational impact on our community with a project called, Riverfront Commons.””
Additionally, the path is expected to be a catalyst for economic development and an essential element for future talent and business attraction. It is also notable, that this grant emphasizes the importance of not only the connective along the riverfront, but an intentional focus to reduce vehicle dependence and vehicle miles traveled by connecting the path to more suburban and rural areas in Northern Kentucky.
“Riverfront Commons will significantly expand access across the NKY river cities by linking communities, neighborhoods, business districts, parks, and mixed-use developments. This grant will be a vital resource in bringing to life this transformational project as we bring vision to reality,” added Weber.
The City of Bellevue along with their local partners: Southbank Partners, City of Covington, City of Bromley, City of Ludlow, City of Newport, City of Dayton, City of Silver Grove, and the Campbell County Fiscal Court intends to transfer their respective portions of the 20% local cost-share ($943,735) to Southbank Partners as a trusted fiduciary agent for administration and reimbursement from the USDOT. Whereas the RAISE grant ($3,774,940) will cover the 80% federal cost-share on a reimbursement basis for a total project cost of $4,718,675.
