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In 1982, a group of business and community leaders became concerned about the decline of the Westerly-Pawcatuck downtown commercial district. This group formed the Westerly - Pawcatuck Joint Development Task Force (Task Force) and began developing a strategy for revitalizing downtown Westerly - Pawcatuck.
In 1998, the Newport Collaborative Architects published the "Westerly-Pawcatuck Action Plan". This report defined twenty action items for the revitalization of downtown Westerly - Pawcatuck. Several items of this plan directly address aspects of the enhanced Westerly - Pawcatuck River Walk.
The construction of the river walk is also a key component of the Town of Westerly Comprehensive Plan (1991). In conjunction with the Waterfront Access Plan, the proposed river walk would provide direct and indirect access to the river and create new waterfront access areas. Also, part of the Comprehensive Plan is the Downtown River Access Plan. The intent of this sub-plan is to make the river the focus of the downtown Westerly redevelopment plan. The plan recommends orientating land uses toward the river and taking full advantage of their river location. The plan also recommends improving pedestrian circulation between Wilcox Park, the business district and the river.
The members of the Task Force and the communities of Westerly, RI and Stonington, CT view the River Walk as an essential link between the retail, professional and business districts of these two towns. It is also envisioned that the river walk will be a visible and vibrant complement to the recent streetscape improvements in Westerly and Stonington, the renovated Broad Street Bridge and the refurbished, historic Westerly Train Station. |
The Task Force commissioned The Townscape Institute of Cambridge, MA to prepare a plan that would "chart the course of action for the revitalization of downtown Westerly - Pawcatuck". In 1985, The Townscape Institute, Inc. published the "Westerly-Pawcatuck Downtown Development Plan". One of the major recommendations of this report was the revitalization of the Pawcatuck River by constructing river walks on both sides of the river, north and south of the Broad Street Bridge. Also recommended in the report was the construction of pedestrian bridges across the river and improved access to Wilcox Park. 
Both the "Westerly - Pawcatuck Downtown Development Plan" and the "Westerly- Pawcatuck Action Plan" propose river walks on both sides of the river, north and south of the Broad Street Bridge to "enhance the attractiveness of the downtowns and improve accessibility to the river". Although this study analyzes the river walk on the Westerly side of the river only, there is a future river walk project planned for the Stonington side of the river. The funding for the Stonington project is currently being reviewed by the State of Connecticut. 
The Task Force has been able to obtain approximately $1.1 million in funding for the design and construction of the proposed river walk. Additional funding may be available for the timber bridge construction through specialty grants.