After more than $30 million and 30 years in the making, the city’s 1.75-mile Riverwalk in downtown Wilmington is now complete. Construction of the Riverwalk has taken place in sections since the early 1980s. The northernmost sections have now been completed and the Riverwalk stretches from the foot of Nun Street on the south end to the Isabel Holmes Bridge on the north end.
The city, which has named Nov. 18 as Riverwalk Day, will hold a ribbon-cutting on Saturday at 10 a.m. at Riverfront Park with Mayor Bill Saffo and other local leaders, and will also offer tours beginning at 10:20 a.m. Other downtown activities include an open house at the Wilmington Convention Center and the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, both beginning at 10 a.m.
Since 1980, the city has invested more than $33 million in additions, improvements and repairs to the Riverwalk, which has significant maintenance needs because of the Cape Fear River’s swift currents. Over $10 million has been spent in the last three years. The city said its public investment has helped stimulate economic development along the riverfront, including planned or completed private sector projects totaling almost $200 million in 2017, according to Wilmington Downtown, Inc.’s 2017 Downtown Development Review released last month.
