Improvements to The Woodlands Waterway will be complete by the end of April as 70 percent of construction has been finished, according to officials with The Woodlands Development Company.

A project to extend and improve the turning basin, a circular walkway located on the waterway between Town Green Park and Riva Row Boat House, has been underway since late 2016. The Development Company is overseeing construction, design and planning of the project, which is being funded by the Town Center Owners Association.

Dan Kolkhorst, vice president of land development for the Development Company, said the project is 100 percent complete structurally, and landscaping and water features are the final additions to be added to the pathway along the waterway.

The project involves replacing the existing guardrail and enhancing the walkway of the upper portion of the turning basin. A boardwalk will also be added on the lower portion along the water’s edge, connecting the two walks with three fountains and two sets of stairs.

Kolkhurst said a Woodlands Waterway walkway extension will also connect to the existing walkway just west of Grogans Mill Road and to North Bay Place, just west of the East Shore Clubhouse. A pedestrian corridor will also connect to the existing Woodlands Waterway walkway just west of Grogans Mill Road to Lake Front Circle and include enhanced landscaping and lighting.

“The pathway is wider than the previous one we had and has a lot more capacity,” Kolkhurst said. “This will help us out in big events, such as the Waterway Arts Festival and pavilion concerts.

Kolkhurst said although the last phases of the turn basin project are under construction, the existing pathways will be opened on weekends and for special events. The pathways will be periodically closed during the week for further installations.

Kelly Dietrich, senior project manager at the Development Company, said by widening the pathway from 8 feet to 12 feet, better mobility will be achieved.

“There will be the ability to move more people,” Dietrich said. “It provides a good connection to a great park, and the pavilion.”