Politics & Government

New Pedestrian Bridge Planned to Link Riverhead, Riverside

Would you like to see a pedestrian bridge from the Aquarium in Riverhead to Riverside?

A new Peconic River pedestrian bridge and maritime trail are being planned on county owned land to help revitalize the Riverside area.

Suffolk County passed a resolution authorizing a grant application for the project on Monday by a unanimous 16 to 0.

"I am so thrilled to see bipartisan support for revitalizing Riverside," Vince Taldone, president of the Flanders, Riverside and Northampton Community Association, said.

With an eye toward breathing new life into blighted areas of Riverside, the Town of Southampton is looking to create a Riverside Maritime Trail and Peconic River Walk; the project would include construction of a pedestrian bridge over the Peconic linking downtown Riverhead at the Long Island Aquarium with Riverside.

The goal would be to embrace a maritime theme and also, improve physical conditions and highlight the area's natural resources to enhance Riverside's image and quality of life.

In addition, according to the resolution, plans would be implemented to transform Route 24 into a "scenic Maritime Corridor," and "not just a highway to relieve congestion in Riverhead."

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The goal would be to promote mixed-use residential and low-scale commercial development with a recreational and maritime theme along the Peconic and enhance the area's image as a walkable community.

The estimated cost for the pedestrian bridge is $1.145 million.

Taldone said with Southampton Town preparing to issue a public offering to solicit interest from developers in the hamlet center of Riverside, which runs along the south side of Flanders Road, "It is vital for government to show that it, too, is investing in Riverside.

"By beginning  the development of the Riverside Maritime Trail with the proposed connection to a resurgent downtown Riverhead, Southampton can demonstrate its commitment to change and its commitment to take an active role in ensuring that the change is on a large scale and in a way that is appropriate for the Riverside community as well as downtown Riverhead."
 
Community leaders, businesses and others have been meeting regularly with the Southampton town board and the Southampton Riverside Economic Revitalization Committee to move development forward with steady and open public participation, Taldone said.
  
"The Riverside community needs to make use of this 14-acre county owned land to spur economic development," Taldone said. "We can put our best asset to work and stimulate interest in the available redevelopment properties. The modest redevelopment scale should be planned to complement the activity in downtown Riverhead so that the entire area becomes a desirable destination."

He added, "A central goal of the project is to attract investment in the commercial and residential properties so that blight is eliminated, jobs are created and new property tax revenues are generated to support our schools."

What do you think of the proposed Maritime Trail and pedestrian bridge between downtown Riverhead and Riverside. Share your thoughts with Patch.

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