LUDLOW, Mass. (WWLP) – Thursday marked what developers are calling the first phase in Ludlow’s Riverwalk and bike path project. The recreational path will be cleared-out behind the Ludlow Mills complex on State Street.
The project is part of the larger Ludlow Mills Preservation and Redevelopment Master Plan, which includes the new HealthSouth rehabilitation hospital, as well as a future public park.
Carmina Fernandes, Chair of the Ludlow Board of Selectmen, told 22News that the project is currently funded by boyh HealthSouth and WestMass, a local nonprofit development agency. Fernandes said that once the $600,000 Riverwalk is complete, the upkeep then becomes the town’s responsibility, but she says the benefits of the project far outweigh the added costs, for things such as snow removal and police patrols.
“You took an area of town that was going to be a liability to the town and now you made it into a huge economic developement project,” Fernandes said.
The Riverwalk is set to be more than 3,700 feet long, starting near the Town Common, and looping back to State Street. Project developers told 22News that the path will be built from recycled brick, and include some historical timeline markers.
