Harbor District Riverwalk Moving Forward with New Contracting Opportunity

MILWAUKEE – The City of Milwaukee is issuing a bid for the construction work associated with the Harbor District Riverwalk project.

The Harbor District Riverwalk is a redevelopment project located south of Harbor View Plaza in Milwaukee’s Harbor District. At close to three quarters of a mile in length, the project is a generational opportunity to build the largest new section of Milwaukee’s overall Riverwalk system. This future public space will provide recreational, transportation, and environmental benefits to residents, employees, and visitors in the area, and will showcase the successful coexistence of commerce, community space, and ecological restoration.

Responses to the City of Milwaukee’s Harbor District Riverwalk bid are due by October 12, 2023, at 10:30 A.M. (CT). The full bid is available HERE.

The Harbor District Riverwalk will include The Node project that will create 3,000 square-feet of new aquatic habitat with new landscaping and native plants. Stairs and ADA-accessible ramps will provide all individuals the opportunity to access the edge and “touch” the water. Other aquatic habitat measures proposed for the Harbor District Riverwalk include log lunkers, a fish crib structure (sunken shipping container filled with rock and woody materials), and habitat brush fascines.

The project will also include one shipping container style building that will house accessible bathrooms and provide a shaded stage for daily use. The Harbor View Plaza Extension on the north end of the site will have integrated signage that leads users into the space, serving as a portal to the Riverwalk.

This Riverwalk project was originally proposed in the Department of City Development’s Harbor District Water and Land Use Plan, as part of the City of Milwaukee’s Comprehensive Plan.

This will be the second Harbor District Riverwalk to be publicly-accessible and operational. The River1 mixed-used development opened the first Riverwalk in the Harbor District to the public in 2022, with a new, riverfront restaurant that recently opened.

Since its inception in 1993, the Riverwalk has operated along both sides of the Milwaukee River, from the site of the former North Avenue Dam, through Downtown and the Historic Third Ward to Lake Michigan. Now, it is expanding throughout the Harbor District along the Kinnickinnic River, with plans for future growth and development.

The system is a public-private partnership between riverfront property owners and the City of Milwaukee. In exchange for permanent public access, the City provides financial assistance for the construction of the private Riverwalk improvements. Since its inception, property values along the Riverwalk have climbed by more than $1.5 billion.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.