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Mayor Cassetti and former Mayor James Della Volpe officially open the walkway extension. Town Clerk Janet Waugh also stands next to Cassetti.
ANSONIA — About 25 officials and guests celebrated the opening of the next phase of Ansonia’s Riverwalk at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday morning.
Mayor David Cassetti was joined during the ceremony by his predecessor, James Della Volpe, whose administration began the project.
Construction on the first part of the walkway started in 2010, and the first segment opened in 2011.
“I am thrilled that Mayor Della Volpe and I can be here together,” Cassetti said during the ceremony, according to a copy of his prepared remarks.
Click play on the video below to see the mayor thank other officials.
The approximately quarter-mile extension now increases Ansonia’s Riverwalk to three quarters of a mile. The walkway is open to joggers, walkers, bicyclists and is pet-friendly.
“Not only is this project environmentally friendly, but it encourages all to exercise while enjoying nature’s river beauty and wildlife,” Cassetti said.
A feature of the extension includes a 130-foot length bridge over the Metro North rail line.
The cost of the project was $1,704,684, which came from federal highway grants, the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments, and the Bridgeport Metropolitan Planning Organization, according to Sheila O’Malley, the city’s grants writer and economic development director.
The riverwalk now connects from Division Street to Pershing Drive and future extensions will bring the walkway over Bridge Street Bridge, West Main Street, South Main Street and reconnect with the Naugatuck River west levee.
