INDIANAPOLIS — The construction of a new multi-million dollar bridge will soon be underway downtown.
Work is expected to begin next week on the Henry Street Bridge over the White River. The new Henry Street Bridge is all part of the multi-phase White River Innovation District Project connecting downtown to neighborhoods on the west side.
The original project stemmed from an agreement between the city, state, and pharmaceutical company Elanco whose new global headquarters will be on the White River’s west side. Construction work is happening there right now but the actual bridge work will begin in the next few days.
While some are excited about the new infrastructure coming to the city, others are frustrated.
“I don’t know why we would spend money on another bridge,” said Stephanie Dilley who likes to go fishing here. “We already have all kinds of bridges and all kinds of road work going on.”
Another concern is the worry that construction near the former Greenlawn Cemetery may lead to the discovery of unmarked graves and human remains. DPW confirmed in January that an “isolated human skeletal element” was found at the bridge site, but none since then.
DPW is now teaming up with Stantec, a company specializing in engineering services, to conduct an “updated and enhanced” archeological plan that will align with the planned construction of the bridge. This was announced earlier this summer.
And even though there is still a lot of work ahead people like Dilley are hoping for the best once the project is complete.
“I love coming up here to go fishing, so anything they can do to help this be better and look better,” she said.
Construction on the bridge itself is expected to officially begin next week and both drivers and pedestrians can expect detours in this area.
According to DPW, the White River Greenway (also known as the White River Trail or White River Wapahani Trail) will close between Kentucky Avenue and Washington Street on or after Tuesday, Sept. 3.
There will be a detour for both pedestrians and bicyclists that follows Washington Street, the Indianapolis Cultural Trail along Capitol Avenue, South Street, Missouri Street, McCarty Street and Kentucky Avenue.
South White River Parkway will also close between Washington Street and Oliver Avenue again beginning on or after Tuesday, Sept. 3. That detour follows Harding Street.
For a map and more specifics on the detours, click here. To learn more about the project as a whole, click here. To see renderings of what the bridge will look like once it is complete, click here.
