Indy's Cultural Trail to cross White River
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Map: Indianapolis Cultural Trail Inc.
The Indianapolis Cultural Trail is expanding, crossing the White River for the first time and connecting downtown to the near westside neighborhood The Valley.
Why it matters: The Cultural Trail has proven to be an economic driver, bringing new investments and visitors to the neighborhoods it runs through.
Driving the news: Indianapolis Cultural Trail Inc. and the city announced Tuesday that a one-mile extension of the trail from Capitol Avenue and South Street to two major downtown developments is being planned along both sides of the White River.
- The extension will connect to a new South Street section, which is currently under construction between Lucas Oil Stadium and Virginia Avenue.
- Another extension along Indiana Avenue to 10th Street is also under construction.
The big picture: After largely ignoring the White River for decades, there's been a concerted effort between local and state officials the past few years to make better use of the city's biggest natural resource.
- Elanco's new global headquarters will anchor the $1.4 billion redevelopment of the former General Motors Stamping Plant, which has sat vacant for more than a decade, along the west side of the river.
- City officials courted Elanco with the promise of a new bridge (and major tax incentives) that will cross the White River at Henry Street.
Meanwhile, the majority owner of the Indy Eleven soccer team purchased the Diamond Chain manufacturing site on the east side of the river to build the team's new 20,000-seat stadium as part of a $1 billion redevelopment project dubbed "Eleven Park."
- In addition to the stadium, the project will include apartments, office space, retail, restaurants, a hotel and a dog park.
Details: The trail project will cost $21.2 million, funded primarily by the Indiana Economic Development Corp., with $3 million kicked in by the city.
- It will include a pedestrian component on the new Henry Street bridge.
The latest: The IBJ reported that at a meeting last night to discuss the bridge's design, a group of residents and historians raised concerns about human remains that may still be buried at the site of a former cemetery located in the path of the new bridge.
Of note: The Cultural Trail announcement comes as construction is underway on the trail's first expansion, an extension to the northwest along Indiana Avenue to 10th Street and the South Street section.
- When construction on both phases is complete, the trail will grow from its original 6 miles to 9 miles.
What they're saying: "Building out the Cultural Trail along the Henry Street bridge will unite several downtown cultural districts with west Indianapolis, but the expansion will also give residents another way to take in the White River," said Mayor Joe Hogsett.
- Jay Napoleon, president of the Valley Neighborhood Association, said the Elanco project — and the investment that follows it, like the trail expansion, was worth the wait.
- "We rejected the idea that anything was better than nothing," he said.
What's next: Construction on the first phase of expansion is scheduled to be complete by late spring next year.
- Construction on the White River expansion will start in late 2025, after the completion of the new Henry Street bridge, and open in late 2026.