Astra Group’s excavator roared into action Thursday on the bank of the Oostanaula River in downtown Rome.

The company is building a $2.7 million floating riverfront plaza and trail connection at the Town Green, between the parking deck and The Forum.

Public Services Director Kirk Milam said crews are beginning to carve out the multi-level trail, which will provide access to the river and the final off-road link in the footpath between Bridgepoint Plaza and State Mutual Stadium.

“The trail sort of splits; it becomes an upper level and a lower level that will take you down to the dock,” he said.

The floating plaza and boat dock will eventually be the home port of the city’s Roman Holiday tour boat, which is temporarily based at Heritage Park.

Milam said Astra is putting in decorative brick-faced retaining walls to support the riverbank trails. In the next week or so, they’ll start on a sheet pile retaining wall into the river.

“The dock will be tethered to that,” he explained.

It will be sometime next summer before crews take on the dock, though. Work started in August and the whole project is expected to take a year.

Once the retaining walls and riverbank paths are built, the trail at the Town Green will be extended under the Fifth Avenue bridge and tied into the trail at the Law Enforcement Center that runs through Ridge Ferry Park to the stadium off Veterans Memorial Highway.

The construction site is walled off for safety, but Milam said the green is still open.

Access to the Chief John Ross Pedestrian Bridge is blocked at The Forum, but sightseers can still walk partway across the river from the West Third Street side.