Work Continues on Fall Creek Greenway Trail

Updated June 29 (see below):

Trail users on the northeast side of town have long bemoaned the condition of the paved trail in the Fall Creek Greenway, which is supposed to (eventually) stretch from near downtown all the way to Geist Reservoir. At present, the trail starts somewhere around Fall Creek and Illinois and continues to the west entrance of Fort Harrison State Park in Lawrence Township, some ten miles interrupted by a death-trap crossing at 38th Street.

The trail segment from Binford Boulevard to Kessler Blvd. and Fall Creek Parkway North (just beyond 56th Street) has been under construction since the ice broke in Spring, 2020, with trail users detoured onto Fall Creek Parkway – a roadway that bears a striking resemblance to a Colorado jeep trail. Meanwhile, the trail itself is being resurfaced and, in some places, realigned to avoid the flooding and root damage that has plagued the poor old gal.

As of June 22, progress on the trail included:

• Complete resurfacing between (about) Dequincy Street and the intersection of Fall Creek Parkway and Kessler
• A new underpass beneath Emerson Avenue
• A new underpass and bridge under 56th, replacing a rickety wooden bridge.
• Realignment and (unfinished) paving from Dequincy to Delmar, the 52nd Street access.

The city is seeding the raw ground next to the trail instead of sodding, and mulching with straw: be wary of mud on the trail after it rains. Otherwise, the improvements are a welcome respite from riding on a busy, poorly maintained surface street.

Have at it!


Update of June 29: Paving to Delmar (52nd St) is complete, but the new work still ends at that point.

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