City of Henderson to close gap on Riverwalk with boardwalk, Sunset Park overlook

HENDERSON, Ky. - There's long been a small problem with the city's popular, 2.6-mile Riverwalk: There's a gap above Sunset Park where the sidewalk stops and walkers or joggers have to cross the street for about a block before rejoining the pathway along the Ohio River.

City officials are in the processing of closing that gap, and they are going to do more than just create a section of sidewalk to do it.

Dylan Ward, public works engineer for the city, said "everybody kind of realized" a connection for pedestrians needed to be made along the narrow and steep roadside slope above Sunset Park.

But as discussions about how to tackle that proceeded, Mayor Steve Austin floated the idea of taking the opportunity to make it more than just a walkway.

"He said he wanted to do something a little more with it and make it kind of like a destination and overlook of the park. So from there we just kind of took that concept and came up with a workable idea."

The end project, expected to be started within weeks and finished by early fall, will see a slightly raised "boardwalk" of decking on the river side of Water Street along with an overlook area with railing that will hold a few benches and planters.

A strip of grass will remain as a buffer to the road and curb. There will be small concrete sidewalk extensions on either end to level out the differences in elevation, and then the "boardwalk" and overlook area -- made out of composite decking -- will run about 75 feet.

"You'll have a clear path all the way through, but there will be a bump out where there will be seating and stuff," Ward explained.

Donna Stinnett, public information officer for the city, said it'll fulfill several purposes.

"Obviously, the nice part of this -- being a Riverwalk consumer myself -- it's nice to be able to not have to cross the street, go over to the other side and walk for a little while and then cross back over to the Riverwalk. This will give you a clear shot all the way from, really, Riverview School all the way down, up through Atkinson Park and to the other end of the Riverwalk."

"You can also look down into Sunset Park if you have kids playing there and you want to sit up top."

It'll also be a prime spot for river watchers or for fireworks shows.

 "Another group of people that I think it benefits is, we have a lot of train watchers," Stinnett said. "And that will be a nice little spot there to pause and watch the trains go through."

The overlook will sit right next to the CSX train trestle over Water Street that leads onto the rail bridge over the Ohio River.

"We have a surprising amount of people -- I've encountered people from other states, Wisconsin, Minnesota -- that are in our downtown parks because of the railroad bridge," Stinnett said. "They take pictures of trains, they keep track of them. The type of train and locomotive. It's just a hobby."

The project will cost the city $76,147, and that money has been spread over two budget years. Allied Contracting of Madisonville was the winning bidder to actually build the boardwalk and overlook.

Stinnett said the overlook will be sort of like the The Perch on Second Street. It'll be an area to pause, rest or meet others.

"It's a little destination. Almost like another little pocket park, only pretty small."

"We've been calling it The Boardwalk," she said. "So I don't know if that will stick."

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