Project Summary:

The Our River… Our Riverfront project seeks to remove improve safety within the White River through removing a failing low-head dam, improve river access for safety personnel, provide a safe, and well-lit, pedestrian route under the 2nd and 3rd Street bridges – mitigating pedestrian/vehicle interchanges at the existing trail intersections.

There are several design drivers for this project:

• Connect the People Trail and provide universal access to the river
• Create compelling attractions, such as in-water recreation and gathering spaces along the bank
• Improve quality of life for residents and visitors alike
• Armor and revegetate the banks
• Repair eroded areas, including scouring near the former landfill
• Maintain the water elevations upstream, which supports existing wetlands
• Restore fish passage, habitat and sediment transportation
• Remove invasive plant species and strengthen local conservation efforts

The City of Columbus and Redevelopment have been working diligently to ensure public input on all plans to refocus attention on our Riverfront.  We realize that this is “our” River and that the future of our community will continue to be tied to innovation and creativity.  Having a vibrant Riverfront that is developed based upon considerable community and public input is important to the future of Columbus.

We are excited to see the Riverfront Project come to fruition after years of pursuit and are looking forward to connecting communities by offering a safe and accessible experience to engage with one of the state’s great waterways. ​

We will continue to make updates to this website to keep you informed as the project moves forward.

Invitation to Bid:

INVITATION TO BID – City of Columbus Riverfront Construction (trail connector, dam removal, and in-river improvements) project prequalification access can be obtained by emailing terri@zurbuchinc.com.  Prequalified bidders will be able to bid on the project scopes of work: site clearing and enabling, In-river work, site concrete, site electrical, landscaping and fencing.  A pre-bid meeting will be held in the Cal Brand Meeting Hall at Columbus City Hall (123 Washington Street, Columbus, IN 47201) on Tuesday, October 1^st at 10am.  A second pre-bid meeting will take place at Columbus City Hall in the Council Chambers on Friday, October 11^th at 10am. Bids will be due on Tuesday, October 29^th at 11am.

This project is funded in part with the American Rescue Plan Act, Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Funds to the State of Indiana through the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC). IEDC is a pass-through subrecipient of federal monies granted and the South Indiana Housing and Community Development Corporation is a lower tier subrecipient under the Federal Program. All regulations under this funding source are applicable.

All contractor(s) must be registered and remain in compliance with 2 CFR Part 25, requiring registration in the Federal System for Award Management (SAM.gov) as amended from time to time, and 2 CFR Part 170, requiring reporting of subaward and executive compensation information, as amended from time to time.

Bids shall include BID SECURITY in the form of a Bid Bond or certified check in the amount of a sum no less than 5 percent of the Bid Sum including all add alternates.

The Owner reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids and to waive any irregularities in bidding. Base bids may be held for the following period before award of Contract: Ninety (90) Days.

Should a successful Bidder withdraw his bid or fail to satisfactorily execute all of the requirements and enter into a written Contract within ten (10) days after Notice of Acceptance of his bid, the Owner may declare the Bid Security forfeited, not as a penalty, but as liquidated damages.

The successful Bidder shall furnish a Performance Bond and Payment Bond from an approved surety company, which will remain in full force and effect for a period of one (1) year after the date of final acceptance of work. Performance Bond and Payment Bond shall be in an amount equal to the following percentage of the Contract Sum: One hundred percent (100%)

Please take a few minutes to review this short video that outlines plans for Our River … Our Riverfront Project.  

Redeveloped Riverfronts are creating valuable assets and driving economic development for communities across the Midwest. Click on the cities below to see some of the exciting ways communities have revitalized their riverfronts into beautiful parks and greenways that are reconnecting people to their rivers and waterways.