Tampa receives $10 million TIGER grant from federal government to complete Riverwalk

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Posted: 06/19/2012

By: Blake Sabatinelli

TAMPA, Fla. - The City of Tampa is receiving a $10 million TIGER grant from the federal government to complete the Riverwalk project, Mayor Bob Buckhorn announced on Tuesday. "This is a game changer for Tampa," he said.

The city spent over a year trying to obtain the grant. Buckhorn said the city has been turned down for the grant twice before.

"We will complete the Riverwalk, which is 20 years in the making," said the mayor. "Downtown Tampa will be a vastly different place as a result."

Former mayor Pam Iorio said, "This grant should complete the Riverwalk from Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park to Channelside – connectivity that will forever change how people access our waterfront, visit our parks and museums and enjoy our downtown. Credit goes to Mayor Buckhorn for aggressively pursuing this funding that will complete a vital project for our community."

Construction will begin in a few months. The project is expected to take 12-14 months.