CLARKSVILLE, Ind. (WDRB) -- Construction crews and equipment along the Ohio River are a sign changes are coming to a popular spot in southern Indiana.

Work is already underway to extend the walking path off Riverside Drive near Ashland Park in Clarksville. The road is closed and will be for several months, but there's still access to the area, which also includes the Falls of the Ohio.

Many people often find themselves walking or biking along the Ohio River Greenway in southern Indiana.

"This is a small piece of heaven for me," Robert Preston Walker, who frequents the path, said. "It really is ... When the summer hit(s) and the leaves come out, it is magical."

That path is getting even longer. Workers are already digging to upgrade storm drains, sewers and water facilities.

The future path will connect Clarksville to Jeffersonville.

"Currently, if someone wants to use the Greenway, that's the one section in the Town of Clarksville that you actually have to ride or walk in the street," Ken Conklin, the town of Clarksville's communications director, said. "So, we're trying to make some improvements to increase safety for pedestrians, bicyclists and anyone else coming down to enjoy the river."

People can still enjoy the river walk, though. There's a detour to get around the construction.

From the east side of the construction, that detour is Missouri Avenue to Clark Boulevard to Winbourne Avenue, back to Riverside Drive.

Clarksville-Riverside Drive construction project detour

This map shows the detour in place amid construction on Riverside Drive near Ashland Park in Clarksville, Indiana. 

"When you come down, you'll see some staggered road closed signs, and really it's just letting you know that you're not gonna be able to get all the way through, so you can easily drive around the barricades, get into Ashland Park, and don't worry. You're not breaking any rules," Conklin said. "It's still safe to come down here."

With big events planned for the spring, like Thunder Over Louisville, the construction zone will open up for traffic to get through just for the weekend.

"Emergency responders are gonna have to get back and forth, vendors are gonna have to get through, and of course pedestrians that want to walk to Jeff and New Albany and enjoy both sides," Conklin said.

The work is expected to wrap up in November.

"It's beautiful," Preston Walker said. "It is. This is a little piece of paradise down here, and I hope they're gonna maintain it."

To read more about the project, click here.

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