Indianapolis Cultural Trail to bridge White River in $21M expansion plan – Indianapolis Business Journal

A deliberate growth of the Indianapolis Cultural Path will border two points of interest deliberate for the southwest a part of downtown Indianapolis: an Indy Eleven soccer stadium and a brand new White River State Park inexperienced area subsequent to the longer term Elanco Animal Well being Inc. headquarters.

Introduced Tuesday, the path will cross the White River as a part of the deliberate Henry Avenue Bridge south of Washington Avenue. Plans for the Henry Avenue Bridge already known as for ample pedestrian and bicyclist areas parallel to 2 vehicular lanes.

The one-mile path growth is predicted to value $21.2 million, officers stated, with the Indiana Financial Growth Corp. contributing $18.2 million and the town contributing $3 million.

“We’re so grateful to our state and metropolis companions who’re making the White River growth of the cultural path attainable,” stated Kären Haley, government director of Indianapolis Cultural Path Inc., in a written assertion. “In complete, the cultural path has acquired greater than $100 million from authorities, basis and personal donors and supporters.”

At its western finish, the growth of the pedestrian and bicyclist path will meet White River Parkway Drive and the previous Normal Motors Stamping Plant website. The Elanco campus, being constructed on 40 acres of the previous manufacturing unit website, will probably be bordered to the east by a greenspace growth of White River State Park.

“It is going to be a 15-acre plot of land that’s basically from the White River to the entrance door of Elanco,” White River State Park Govt Director Jake Oakman instructed the IBJ earlier this yr. North of Washington avenue, White River State Park consists of the Indianapolis Zoo, Indiana State Museum, Victory Area, Eiteljorg Museum, TCU Amphitheater, Imax Theatre and NCAA Corridor of Champions.

To the east of the Henry Avenue Bridge, the path’s growth will proceed alongside Henry Avenue to Kentucky Avenue. The portion of Henry Avenue east of the river is an alley on the southern fringe of the previous Diamond Chain Co. plant, which will probably be razed to make means for the Indy Eleven soccer stadium.

Plans for the $1 billion Eleven Park mixed-use growth embrace the 20,000-seat stadium and a 4,000-seat leisure venue.

“This growth creates the connectivity and walkability of this space to the remainder of downtown,” Indy Eleven proprietor Ersal Ozdemir stated in a written assertion. “We stay up for being a part of the continued legacy of the cultural path that offers residents and guests an effective way to discover our rising neighborhoods, cultural districts and leisure venues.”

The path growth consists of Kentucky Avenue between Henry and South streets, plus South Avenue between West Avenue and Capitol Avenue.

Work on the growth is projected to be accomplished in late 2026.

Formally named the Indianapolis Cultural Path: A Legacy of Gene and Marilyn Glick, the trail opened in 2013 as a strategy to join cultural districts Mass Ave, Indiana Avenue, the Central Canal, White River State Park, the Wholesale District and Fountain Sq..

The path made a loop round downtown and coated six miles with a growth price ticket of $63 million. Federal grants, native companies and philanthropic sources offered the funding.

An preliminary growth to the path is ongoing and anticipated to wrap up in late spring 2024. Introduced in February 2020, the $30 million growth consists of work on Indiana Avenue and tenth Avenue, plus South Avenue between Capitol Avenue and New Jersey Avenue.

Funding from Lilly Endowment Inc., Elevance Well being Basis, Lilly Basis and the town added as much as $28.5 million for the primary growth. The cultural path is searching for contributions to cowl the remaining $1.5 million, Haley stated.

When the 2 expansions are full, the path will complete 9 miles of pathways.