City of Grand Rapids Provide Update On ‘Rapids Revitalization Project’

UPDATE 4/15/2025: A previous version of this article stated the project was halted and the City of Grand Rapids had pulled its funding. This was incorrect and poorly worded. We apologize for this error.

The City of Grand Rapids has reached out to clarify:

"Due to the continued delays for Federal approvals and funding, we have withdrawn the current bid related to the Grand River revitalization in-channel work slated for this year. While we are still optimistic in a positive resolution, the on-going delay has generated some unpredictability in our timelines. Out of respect for all parties involved, we’ve withdrawn the bid so everyone may better plan and allocate existing resources.

As soon as the remaining Federal approvals are secured, we’ll re-issue the bid and begin work once river conditions allow. The in-channel work is the anchor project for the broader Grand River corridor revitalization and while we await approvals, the City and its partners will continue with the myriad other projects along the Grand River, such as parks improvements, Grand Rapids Public Museum renovations, and the Grand River Greenway with its associated trail connections. "

Again, WGRD and the author apologize for any confusion.

ORIGINAL 4/7/2025:

Grand Rapids White Water (GRWW)'s dream of returning the "rapids" to the Grand River started in 2009 and has seen numerous setbacks over the years. But finally, last year, the project was approved by the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (GLE), finally issued a permit was issued for the project. All that was left was approval from the Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and construction was set to start in July of this year.

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As promising as all this seemed, this final step has proven to be more difficult than expected. An apparent delay in approval from the NRCS has led to the City of Grand Rapids announcing it would be removing its bid for this project, at least for the time being.

⬇️VIEW THE LAST TIME THE GRAND RIVER FLOODED, 2013⬇️

Grand River Project Priorities

The project is split into two portions, the Upper Reach and the Lower Reach. According to MLive, the Lower Reach from Bridge Street to Fulton Street is the area that has seen the city remove its bid. The city claims it is still very interested in the project, but due to the delays in the approval process, the city is choosing to withdraw its bid for the project to "better plan and allocate existing resources.".

The GRWW estimates that the total cost for the project will come to $44.6 million, with nearly $50 million already collected. However, the funding that the city would provide would be essential for the construction costs, coming to around $20 million. As stated on the GRWW website:

Construction of the Upper Reach cannot begin until the Lower Reach construction is finished and the Upper Reach EIS process has been completed. A timeline for the Upper Reach EIS process is not currently available.

The rapids revitalization project will continue work on other parts of the project. The team awaits funding approval, but rest assured. The project has seen plenty of setbacks and still has plenty of support behind it