After more than a year of being closed to the public, a section of Milford’s Riverwalk will get repairs and an upgrade.
In February 2025, seven inches of snow, followed by five days of near-constant rain played havoc with a section of the Riverwalk, opening up a large sinkhole near the Washington Street bridge. But, as Parks and Recreation Director Brad Dennehy told City Council last month, the sinkhole was a sign of a more significant issue.
“It was determined that it was not just sinkholes, but there were sections of the concrete bulkhead in the river, which is the vertical wall, which were seriously compromised,” Dennehy said.
At that meeting, Dennehy presented council members with three options to repair the section, ranging in cost from $260,000 to $342,000. The different options varied in how the vertical wall would be treated. One option, coming in at around $331,000 would also add a living shoreline component to the newly-reconstructed section.
“In addition to creating a safe space for animals and plants to thrive, this option also increases the aesthetic appeal to the area,” he explained. “So it means we'll be taking out a lot of the large rocks and we'd be creating this natural kind of habitat with plantings down there.”
When asked directly, Dennehy said that was the option he personally preferred, in part because it would create a new space for young people to explore..
“I think anytime that we can get kids down along the banks of the river - the habitat is going to bring more turtles, it's going to bring more fish, it's going to bring more wildlife,” he said.
That was also the preferred option for council members, who approved the option, along with a possible fishing platform, by a 7-0 vote. One council member was absent.
The process will continue with a request for construction bids.
