Paducah Moves Forward With  Riverfront Trail Extension

Paducah (Ky.) is moving forward with its $10.4 million BUILD grant for riverfront redevelopment.

The Paducah Board of Commissioners approved an ordinance April 14 for a professional services contract with Bacon Farmer Workman Engineering & Testing of Paducah for $250,000 for environmental assessment services for the Paducah Riverfront Infrastructure and Improvement Project. The project includes an excursion pier and plaza, transient dock landing improvements, four intersection improvements and a multi-use pathway.

The city has a required match of $1.1 million for the BUILD grant. The environmental assessment portion of the project is not covered by the grant funding and is not included in the city’s match.

Also on April 14, the city approved the fifth phase of its Clyde F. Boyles Greenway Trail. The contract with Jim Smith Contracting LLC for $479,350 extends the hiking and biking trail from Shultz Park, near the city’s transient dock, along the riverfront on the river side of the floodwall to Jefferson Street. It includes park renovations to accommodate vehicle traffic as well as the separate path for cyclists and pedestrians, city spokeswoman Pam Spencer said.

The project is primarily funded with a Federal Highway Administration Transportation Enhancement grant administered by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet office in the amount of $432,500. The grant requires a 20 percent city match funded from the Boyles Trust Fund.

Construction of the fifth phase of the trail is expected to be completed within 150 days. The greenway trail connects the Perkins Creek Nature Preserve, three city parks and the riverfront, traveling atop the earthen flood levee for roughly 3 miles. The $3 million greenway trail has been in planning and various construction phases since 2001, and more than 5 miles of paved or densely packed gravel trail have been completed.

Caption for photo: An artist rendering shows the fifth phase of the Clyde F. Boyles Greenway Trail in Paducah, connecting Shultz park near the city’s transient boat dock with the downtown area near Jefferson Street via a hiking and biking trail. The phase also includes renovations to better accommodate vehicle traffic.