Strasburg working on expanding Riverwalk

STRASBURG, Va. (WHSV) - The town of Strasburg is gearing up to make some major improvements to its Riverwalk at Strasburg Park along the Shenandoah River.

The plan is to double the size of the Riverwalk and extend it two miles by adding secondary trails and extending its southern end to go behind Strasburg High School with plans for an outdoor classroom there. There will also be fishing piers added to both ends of the Riverwalk and a kayak and canoe launch.

“Currently we only have one public access point for putting into the river or exiting, a lot of folks will use a county property up the road or a private property. So this would actually allow the town to have two public access points for folks to get in and out of the river,” said Olivia Hilton, Strasburg’s Director of Strategic Initiatives.

The town has applied for and tentatively received a grant from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources for the project that could be up to $200,000.

“Our current hope is that they will help fund the design and engineer cost analysis of the full project and then we’re able to see what portion the grant would cover and what portion our town council would need to financially support as well. We’re moving forward and we hope to get that design within the next few months,” said Hilton.

The goal of the project is to increase the use of the space and to improve outdoor recreation in Strasburg.

“Quality of life has been an increased focus for our town council and for the staff for the town so that’s what we’re focusing on is kind of aligning the quality of life with the business development and hoping that it all comes together for this project,” said Hilton.

The hope is that the improvements to the Riverwalk will also increase tourism in the town.

“We just want to really get ahead of the game, especially if the rail trail is being built, we’re going to have some increased bike and pedestrian access throughout town. We just want to get ahead of the game so we’re roping all these projects together,” said Hilton.

Hilton said that she hopes that the project can be completed by the spring of 2025.

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