Phase 2 of Riverfront Commons officially opened Friday, tacking fresh public trail and park space onto the growing multi-city Riverwalk along the Ohio River and giving Northern Kentucky residents more room to roam. The new segment is the latest visible piece of a years-long effort to stitch together river towns from Ludlow to Fort Thomas and tighten the everyday connection to Cincinnati just across the water.
In a celebratory OKI Regional Council of Governments Facebook post, the agency congratulated local partners on the Phase 2 opening and highlighted its $8.4 million grant for the project, with dollars set aside for design work on the new stretch. The post shared photos from the event and cast the award as part of OKI’s long-standing push to back bike and pedestrian projects across the tri-state.
What Riverfront Commons Is
Riverfront Commons is a multi-city riverfront initiative designed to create an 11-plus-mile chain of trails, plazas, and riverfront parks tying together Ludlow, Covington, Newport, Bellevue, Dayton and Fort Thomas. Regional trail advocates and planners have documented the route and its goals through Tri-State Trails, and portions of the Riverwalk are already open to walkers and cyclists who want a closer view of the river.
What Phase 2 Adds
The Dayton phases of the Riverwalk, which sit inside the broader Riverfront Commons buildout, will contribute roughly a mile of paved multi-use path, along with new riverfront access points. Those include plazas and overlooks that plug directly into nearby downtown neighborhoods, giving residents and visitors more direct ways to hit the water’s edge without getting in a car. NKyTribune quoted Southbank Partners’ Will Weber saying, “The Riverwalk is about the connection. Riverfront Commons is about the destination,” and city leaders say the latest segment is aimed at boosting both recreation and nearby businesses.
Funding and Next Steps…