Chattahoochee RiverWalk
The Chattahoochee RiverWalk is a 22-mile walking and biking area along the Chattahoochee River in Columbus, Georgia, United States. The trail is paved with asphalt, concrete, or brick. Due to the RiverWalk bike path, Columbus has been listed by the League of American Bicyclists as one of the forty most Bicycle Friendly Communities in the United States.[1]
History
In 1989 construction began on the first phase of RiverWalk. The project opened for use on October 12, 1992 (Columbus Day). A statue of Christopher Columbus was installed on the RiverWalk near the Dillingham Street bridge.
The second phase of the RiverWalk extended it from the Columbus Convention and Trade Center in Downtown to Oxbow Meadows in South Columbus. Before expanding the North end of the RiverWalk, the city extended the path to the Infantry Center at Fort Benning.
The stretch from the TSYS building to the Bibb Mill was constructed in the third phase. The fourth phase extended the RiverWalk from the Bibb Mill to the Lake Oliver Dam. Construction began in 2009 to connect the RiverWalk from the 14th Street bridge to the Eagle & Phenix Dam. This section opened in early 2011.
The Path
The RiverWalk begins in North Columbus at Lake Oliver and extends southward twenty-two miles to Fort Benning. It is divided into three areas:
- The first area runs from the Lake Oliver Dam to the North Highlands Dam.
- The second section begins south of the North Highlands Dam, which can be accessed from First Avenue, and ends at the Fourteenth Street Pedestrian Bridge and TSYS.
- The third section runs from the Eagle & Phenix Dam to Fort Benning.
Construction is underway to connect the second and third sections of the RiverWalk
There are eleven designated access points. With expansion there is a more continuous way for people who want to go to Fort Benning from Lake Oliver Marina. There are two sections of the RiverWalk to be completed: the City Mills site and the Bibb Mill site. The 14th Street bridge is also slated for major renovations to be completed in 2011.[2]
The Chattahoochee RiverWalk also connects to the Phenix City RiverWalk at the 14th Street Bridge. The Phenix City RiverWalk extends from the Dillingham Street bridge to the 14th Street bridge, but it will extend up to the City Mills Dam on the Alabama side of the Chattahooche.[3]
Sights
Sites along the RiverWalk include the site of the Battle of Columbus, Georgia, Total System Services, former Bibb Manufacturing Company, the National Infantry Museum, the National Civil War Naval Museum at Port Columbus, Golden Park baseball stadium, Oxbow Meadows Learning Center,[4] and Oxbow Creek Golf Course.
South of the Columbus Civic Center on the RiverWalk, there are signs warning that the area is an Alligator Habitat.[5]
The City of Columbus Visitor Center partnered with Groundspeak to emplace a GeoTour along the Riverwalk to attract geocachers. The GeoTour highlights 31 locations important to the history of the city.[6]
Map
Gallery
![]() | This section contains an unencyclopedic or excessive gallery of images. |
- Riverwalk north higland.jpg
Section of the Riverwalk just south of the North Highlands Dam, which can be seen in the background.
- Riverwalk nh 2.jpg
The Riverwalk from the North Highlands Dam area.
- Riverwalk synovous view.jpg
Eagle and Phenix Dam from Bay Street in front of Synovous.
- Riverwalk synovous south view.jpg
South view of the Riverwalk. Picture taken on Bay Street at Synovous.
- Columbus riverwalk 2010 construction.jpg
The newest addition of the Chattahoochee Riverwalk.
References
- ^ League of American Bicyclists
- ^ Renovations to the 14th Street Bridge
- ^ "Phenix City RiverWalk on schedule". Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
- ^ Oxbow Meadows Learning Center's Website
- ^ News Video explaining the "Alligator Habitat" signs on the Chattahoochee Riverwalk. Archived May 19, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Columbus, GA: RiverWalk GeoTour (GT8)".
External links
- Chattahoochee Riverwalk Information
- Chattahoochee Riverwalk Bicycle Tours
- Journal of a Daily Chattahoochee Riverwalker
- New Construction on Riverwalk[dead link]
- Whitewater Rafting Announcement
- New construction on Phenix City side of Chattahoochee Riverwalk
- Expected Impact of Whitewater Rafting
Coordinates: 32°26′35.5″N 84°58′17.8″W / 32.443194°N 84.971611°W
- Webarchive template wayback links
- Articles with short description
- Short description with empty Wikidata description
- All pages needing cleanup
- All articles with dead external links
- Articles with dead external links from February 2013
- Columbus, Georgia
- Coordinates not on Wikidata
- Geography of Columbus, Georgia
- Tourist attractions in Columbus, Georgia
- Protected areas of Muscogee County, Georgia
- Transportation in Muscogee County, Georgia
- Bike paths in Georgia (U.S. state)
- 1992 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
- Protected areas established in 1992