Louisville's riverfront makeover is moving from drawings into construction, beginning beneath the public space many residents know best.

Work is underway in the garage supporting the Belvedere, the first physical stage of a redevelopment intended to reconnect the downtown gathering place with everyday city life.

The sequence matters: crews must repair and reinforce the structure before the next phase can transform the park above it.

The project's current schedule places park construction in summer 2027 and a planned grand opening in 2030.

Those dates describe the intended progression, rather than a promise that every stage is already complete.

The garage serves destinations including the KFC Yum! Center and the Kentucky Center, making access during construction a practical concern for downtown visitors.

Drivers should watch for posted changes within the structure and allow extra time when attending busy events.

The broader redevelopment calls for more welcoming public areas, improved connections and amenities such as seating, shade, lighting and clearer wayfinding.

These may sound like modest details beside a major architectural redesign, but they help determine whether people stop, linger and return.

The Belvedere opened in 1973, giving the project a responsibility to build on an established civic place rather than simply create a new attraction.

A successful next chapter would serve a weekday lunch break as comfortably as a large public gathering.

Construction also brings a period when the familiar route may change, and residents will need clear information about access.

For now, the important distinction is between work underway below the plaza and the larger park transformation still ahead.

The beginning of garage repairs is a meaningful milestone, but the finished riverfront destination remains several phases away.

For Greater Louisville, this is a downtown story worth following through the practical details as well as the renderings.