LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- City and state leaders held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday to commemorate the opening of Louisville MSD's Waterway Protection Tunnel.

The massive site — which pokes its head above ground at 12th and Rowan streets near downtown Louisville —is now a 4-mile tunnel that burrows 18 stories beneath Louisville. The tunnel is designed to prevent sewage from overflowing in the city’s waterways during significant rain events, one of several projects in the city’s more than $1 billion plan to meet the federal consent decree.

The $220 million project should capture approximately 439 million gallons of overflow during a typical year. 

Renderings of Waterfront Park's westward expansion

As part of Tuesday's ceremony, MSD handed off ownership of the area at 12th and Rowan streets to the owners of Waterfront Park, which will soon begin work transforming the area into Louisville's newest riverside park.

"It is so exiting that we are finally at this moment," said Deborah Bilitski, executive director of Waterfront Park.

The 22-acre expansion between 10th and 14th streets will bring the park within walking distance to west Louisville neighborhoods. The first phase of construction will include an outdoor experiential learning area designed in partnership with the Kentucky Science Center. PlayWorks, as the area will be called, will contain interactive artifacts and activities that help tell the history of the area. 

Construction will continue in phases as funding becomes available, Bilitski said. She said they've raised $26 million of the $50 million needed to complete the project, though more than 80% of that came from the state budget.

"When we provide people cleaner water, when we expand these parks, it makes for a better life for our families," Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said during Tuesday's ceremony. "And that's what we should be in this for."

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