LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky is receiving $14.5 million to help reconnect Louisville's Portland neighborhood with the Ohio River.
Railroads, levees, floodwalls, and Interstate 64 limit riverfront access for people who live in the neighborhood.
Because of that, the state qualified for a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program, which is aimed at improving access in communities.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet plans to use the money in a few ways to improve pedestrian connectivity to the Ohio River from the Portland neighborhood. It plans to make roads around 22nd Street and I-64 better suited not only for drivers, but also cyclists and pedestrians.
Plans also include rebuilding two pedestrian bridges that cross I-64.
The design process is expected to wrap up next year, with construction beginning in 2028.
This comes as crews still work on the ongoing westward expansion of Louisville's Waterfront Park. At last check, the first phase of the project was anticipated to be done by the end of 2024, but the city hasn't provided an update on the project.
The $50 million expansion project will extend Waterfront Park into the city's west end along the Ohio River to a 22-acre area between 10th and 14th streets.
For a closer look at the park plans, click here. To read more about the westward expansion, click here.
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