Columbus approves contractor for $11.8 million riverfront project

The City of Columbus has chosen Milestone as the contractor to build a new riverfront improvement project between the Second and Third Street bridges on the east bank of East Fork White River.

The Columbus Redevelopment Commission approved a resolution awarding the construction contract this week. The “Our River, Our Riverfront” project is projected to cost $11.8 million dollars.

The city contracted with Hitchcock Design Group in late 2016 to design the project. After the bids came in higher than expected last year, in January, the city reduced the scope of the work to address safety concerns and to remove all plans for in-river recreation. In May the city again put out a request for bids, with two bidders responding. Milestone was found to be the lowest qualified bidder for the work, which will include improvements stabilizing the bank, as well as extending the People Trail through the area and building community spaces.

The city also has plans to remove the low-head dam in the river, but that will be done through a separate contractor with the expectation that the state will help pay for the work.

Most of the funding for the riverfront project will come from tax revenue from the downtown tax increment financing district along with a grant of $1.7 million through the state’s Next Level Trails Grant Program and state READI 1.0 grant funding of $5.6 million.

East Fork White River dam photo courtesy of columbus.in.gov