The Riverwalk in Dayton hit a new milestone this week with the grand opening of its newest 1-mile stretch.
It is another step toward the full 20-mile Riverwalk.
Each phase of the Riverwalk brings Southbank Partners and its partnering cities closer to connecting Riverfront Commons and Northern Kentucky’s Riverfront District into a single active destination.
“The Riverwalk is helping shape a more connected and accessible riverfront for generations to come,” said President and CEO of Southbank Partners Will Weber. “Each new phase of the Riverwalk improves access to the river, links communities together and creates places where people can gather, explore and enjoy Northern Kentucky’s waterfront.”
Southbank Partners and the city of Dayton officially opened the 1-mile stretch of the Riverwalk during a celebration and ribbon-cutting on June 16. This comes after the groundbreaking on Oct. 16 2025, to celebrate Phases 2 and 3 of the Riverwalk at Riverfront Commons in Dayton.
“With the completion of this phase of the Riverwalk, Dayton now has a 1.5-mile paved path that parallels the Ohio River, providing pristine views of the river and Cincinnati skyline,” Dayton Mayor Ben Baker said.
The city continues to make enhanced connections to and from The Riverwalk, The Levee Trail, and Dayton’s historic downtown business district, which includes a continuous sidewalk along Main Street to the steps of The Levee Trail and a future ADA-accessible ramp to the Riverwalk at the intersection of Manhattan Boulevard and Berry Street.
“The next Riverfront Commons project within the city is related to the Levee Trail, which has already been funded through a federal grant,” Baker said. “This project will repave and expand the existing 1.5-mile paved trail on top of the earthen levee, add upgraded site amenities and create an ADA-accessible ramp to connect to the Riverwalk at the intersection of 4th Avenue and Manhattan Boulevard. An updated design of the Levee Trail is expected to start later this year, with construction scheduled to be complete next year.”
Southbank Partners continues to work with the city to enhance public spaces along the Riverwalk, such as a future Overlook with “John Hastings,” the next signature art installation, building on the “Love the Cov” and “A Beautiful View” pieces in Covington and Bellevue, respectively, as well as a future kayak launch connecting the Riverwalk to the Ohio River Way, a recently designated National Water Trail.
