A stretch of road overlooking the Ohio River that will connect to Clarksville’s up-and-coming downtown area has reopened for the winter.
Crews have spent the past year overhauling the town’s portion of Riverside Drive, a road that boasts unmatched views of the Louisville skyline and ties into amenities in South Clarksville.
The project, estimated at around $7 million, includes a complete reconstruction of the road, and added on-street parking, lights and benches. It also completes Clarksville’s connection of the Ohio River Greenway to the Jeffersonville border.
The work is funded through an 80/20 match with the state paying the majority and the Clarksville Redevelopment Commission responsible for the remainder.
It’s the latest in ongoing work to reimagine South Clarksville. Riverside Drive runs along Ashland Park and connects to the nearby Falls of the Ohio State Park. It will eventually tie into Main Street.
“We want to make it a place where folks want to come down and spend their day,” town spokesperson Ken Conklin said. “We're just trying to make it a place that folks can come down, shop, eat and then enjoy the park.”
The town purchased Ashland Park in 2023 and earlier this year, replaced the aging playground there with new accessible equipment.
Conklin said officials have talked about updating the restrooms and eventually building an entertainment venue. They’ve also added electricity for food booths and vendors to be able to hold more public events there.
“That view from Ashland Park is the gem of South Clarksville,” he said. “If you look at the whole riverfront stretching from New Albany, Jeffersonville… it's the most underdeveloped area in all of Southern Indiana. It's just a diamond in the rough that we're kind of polishing up as we can invest in infrastructure.”
Conklin said officials are working to address the increased stormwater that will need to be pumped from the north side of the flood wall to the river during heavy rains. They’ll need to do that before opening the connection between Riverside Drive and Main Street. The town was recently approved for $500,000 in funding from the Kentuckiana Regional Planning and Development Agency to address the stormwater needs.
Multiple large-scale buildings have either been completed or are in the plans for South Clarksville’s new downtown area, including an upcoming 10-story hotel. Conklin said it could take around a decade for the full buildout.
In 2023, tourism officials selected the area as the recommended site for a conference center.
“I think it's going to be a huge economic boom for Southern Indiana,” he said. “Jeffersonville is already thriving. You've got River Ridge there on the northeast side. New Albany is doing very well. Clarksville has kind of been a retail hub for southern Indiana. We haven't really had a lot of industry or tourism in Clarksville. And this is going to change that.”
Crews will need to do finishing touches on the road, including final paving and striping, in spring.
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