Work is moving along at the future Ansonia Riverwalk, and city officials expect the first portion of the walkway to ready for use in mid-summer.
Crews this week laid concrete for the entrance of the riverwalk, at Division and North Division streets.
“Obviously we’re very excited,” Mayor James Della Volpe said Friday. “It’s been seven years in the making.”
Crews have been working at the site for the past three weeks, and started the concrete work Thursday. The city broke ground at the site in September.
The entrance to the riverwalk will eventually include a gazebo, brick walkways, and about 35 parking spots. It will be handicap accessible, Della Volpe said.
The first portion of the work will essentially extend Derby’s Greenway north along the Naugatuck River to the train tracks.
After that work is complete, and once the city gets right of way access, the next step will be to build a bridge over the train tracks, and continue the walkway up to the sidewalk at Pershing Drive.
From there, the city hopes to eventually create another walkway across the river, behind buildings on Main Street, where people can walk a loop from Division Street to Bridge Street and back.
The first phase of the project is costing about $1 million, and the total project is estimated at $2.4 million.
Della Volpe said the majority of funds have come from grants.
