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Thursday, October 29, 2026Oct 29

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Chattanooga’s Tennessee Riverwalk gets $2.3 million grant for extension (with video)

photo Taryn Ball, left, and Haley Dalrymple walk with their children along a section of the Tennessee Riverpark late Monday morning.
Hot air balloons dotted the city's sky tonight as pilots drifted above crowds in the park.

The balloons floated over War Memorial Park, tethered to trucks or vans, as a band played. At dusk, the balloons performed a balloon glow, the burners illuminating the aircraft in an overhead light display.

Hot air balloons illuminate city's skyline

Video available Watch Video
photo Chattanooga Riverwalk

The state will dole out $2.3 million to help pay for an extension of the Tennessee Riverwalk from Ross’s Landing to St. Elmo and the foot of Lookout Mountain, Gov. Bill Haslam said Monday.

The money will be well spent on the Riverwalk, Haslam said, calling the walkway a jewel of Chattanooga and Hamilton County. Extending the Riverwalk from the Chickamauga Dam to Lookout Mountain will reinforce the attraction as the prime greenway in Tennessee.

“That’s a long stretch of greenway, unparalleled,” said Haslam during a news conference on a pier at the 21st Century Waterfront.

The $2.3 million, which comes through federal enhancement funds that the state administers, adds to almost $10 million already collected for the extension.

There are two extensions in the works. One would stretch from Renaissance Park on the north side of the Tennessee River and end at Moccasin Bend National Park, while the St. Elmo/Lookout Mountain project is the second.