Mayor Joe Hogsett joined the Indianapolis Department of Public Works (Indy DPW) to highlight the completed Monon Trail bridge over 38th Street. This project will improve the safety of both trail users and motorists by removing the need for pedestrians and cyclists to cross 38th Street travel lanes.

"Today is a very exciting day for this neighborhood as well as for trail users across the city," said Mayor Hogsett. "The completion of this project demonstrates Indianapolis's continued dedication to expanding and improving trails and greenways around the city as well as the safety of those using them."

Several years in the making, this project required extensive coordination with neighboring community organizations, the Indiana State Fairgrounds, Indiana Department of Transportation, and the Metropolitan Planning Organization. A $2.4 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) was utilized to help fund the project.

With a construction cost of nearly $4.6 million, this project also includes 700 linear feet of new sidewalks along 38th Street, improved trail connections on both sides of 38th Street, and a Pacers Bikeshare station just north of the bridge.

The bridge design pays tribute to the city's Monon rail heritage with a pedestrian walkway resembling railroad tracks and Monon signage in front of Boulevard Station Depot.

The Monon Trail is one of the busiest urban greenways in the nation with more than 1.3 million users annually. It is a key link in the Indianapolis Greenways master plan, connecting 10-miles of neighborhoods from Downtown to northern Marion County, including the Near Northside, King Park, Hillside, Mapleton-Fall Creek, Meridian-Kessler, Broad Ripple, the North Central neighborhood, and Nora.

In addition to work on this pedestrian bridge, Indy DPW completed several other trails and greenway infrastructure improvements in 2020 comprising:

• 51,276 linear feet of new path/trail
• 16,490 linear feet of rehabbed path/trail
• 3 new pedestrian bridges
• 3 rehabbed pedestrian bridges
• 32 new ADA access ramps
• 8 rehabbed ADA access ramps
• 9 new crosswalks

Indy DPW also has several trail projects expected to start in 2021. Those projects include the second phase of the Fall Creek Trail expansion, which will connect with phase one at Burdsal Parkway to the White River Trail at Indiana Avenue. Also expected is the expansion of the Indianapolis Cultural Trail. This multimodal trail will expand along South Street and Indiana Avenue as well as provide additional stations and bikes for the Pacers bike share program.

Also announced at today's event was the kick-off of the City's annual cycling event, the Polar Bear Pedal. This year, the event will be virtual, allowing riders to complete the route on their own time from March 12-20. The route will include a ride over the new bridge. The first 100 people to ride the route and submit a picture on social media will receive a prize package. Details and route information can be found on the city's website or the Polar Bear Pedal 2021 Facebook event page.