The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) announced today that Walsh Construction Company II, LLC was awarded the contract to build the first three blocks of the Chicago Riverwalk, from State Street to LaSalle Street, as the firm was the lowest bidder in a recent construction bidding process.

Walsh’s bid of $43 million was the lowest of two bids submitted to the City earlier this summer, and was more than 10 percent lower than the bid from F.H. Paschen /S.N. Nielsen & Associates LLC of $47.5 million.

“The Chicago River is our second shoreline, which has played such a critical role in Chicago’s early history, the development of our industry, and our quality of life,” said Rahm Mayor Emanuel. “With the reinvention of the downtown Riverwalk, we are making the Chicago River into the city’s new recreational frontier.”

The Riverwalk design plans include the build out of six blocks from State Street west to Lake Street with distinctive identities and purpose, thematically named:  The Marina (from State to Dearborn); The Cove (Dearborn to Clark); The River Theater (Clark to LaSalle); The Swimming Hole (LaSalle to Wells); The Jetty (Wells to Franklin) and The Boardwalk (Franklin to Lake).

This construction contract includes the first three blocks from State to LaSalle, including an extension of 25 feet from the current configuration into the river, and connections under each bridge.  The project is expected to start soon, with the first three blocks complete by the end of 2014. 

A second construction bid process will commence in Spring of 2014 for the remaining three blocks of the project from LaSalle to Lake Street.

The Marina is designed to accommodate retail space and public seating. The Cove may allow for human-powered watercraft to dock. The River Theater will serve as the location for the vertical access between Upper Wacker and the Riverwalk level.

The bridges over the river establish a boundary between each block, which allow for each to have a unique identity and landscaping.  Each block will be linked by the continuous walkway along the river, beneath each bridge.  The design of the blocks has considered the previous feasibility studies and the changing operations of the waterway.     

The U.S. Department of Transportation recently awarded the City a $100 million federal loan to complete the riverwalk through the agency’s Transportation Infrastructure Finance Innovation Act (TIFIA) program.

The plans reflect the build-out limits and general design of the entire riverwalk project which was agreed upon through a public development process in 1999.

The United States Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers and other waterway stakeholders – community groups, commercial operators and the recreational users of the river – continue to play an important role in shaping the development of the Riverwalk plans.