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First Elements of Cincinnati’s New $120M Central Riverfront Park Coming Online

The first elements of the new, $120 million Cincinnati Riverfront Park are becoming reality. Project Manager takes viewers on a tour of the construction site and highlights the recently completed Head House and geothermal wells, in addition to several other nearly completed elements scheduled to finish within the coming months.

As mid-rise residential buildings rise from the ground nearby at The Banks, the Cincinnati Riverfront Park (CRP) is making significant progress of its own. Phase 1 of the $120 million, 45-acre park is now just one year away from completion and the first elements of the park are becoming recognizable.

Crews have completed the installation of twenty, 300-foot geothermal wells that will heat and cool several facilities within CRP’s first phase. At the same time construction workers are finishing work on the realigned Mehring Way which will free up direct riverfront space, create a more user-friendly street for all modes of transportation, incorporate space for the Ohio River Trail, and maintain the roadway’s necessary specifications for hazardous materials transportation.

In this fall 2010 update, Project Manager Dave Prather also discusses how meticulous the project team has been in their selection of materials including the granite which will be prominently used throughout this first phase.

The Head House that connects the underground parking garage to the park is the first feature of the Cincinnati Riverfront Park to be completed.  The next elements to come online will be the Schmidlapp Stage & Event Lawn in May 2011 with the Moerlein Lager House following shortly thereafter. Project officials expect the Walnut Street Fountain & Steps and Bike, Mobility & Visitors Center in late summer 2011.  The remaining features of Phase 1 will be completed next fall.

By Randy A. Simes

Randy is an award-winning urban planner who founded UrbanCincy in May 2007. He grew up on Cincinnati’s west side in Covedale, and graduated from the University of Cincinnati’s nationally acclaimed School of Planning in June 2009. In addition to maintaining ownership and serving as the managing editor for UrbanCincy, Randy has worked professionally as a planning consultant throughout the United States, Korea and the Middle East. After brief stints in Atlanta and Chicago, he currently lives in the Daechi neighborhood of Seoul’s Gangnam district.