Indy Adds to its Multi-use Trails

While you probably weren’t looking, the city of Indianapolis increased total multiuse trail mileage by a little under two miles with a project on the near northside connected to the city’s newest park and one build in one of the city’s oldest parks. 

Reverend C. R. Williams Park

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Those who’ve ridden the Monon Trail in the past couple of months – and face it: who hasn’t? – might have noticed the ribbon of asphalt that has appeared along the north side of Sutherland Avenue. This short stretch is a spur that reaches to the newly built Reverend Charles R. Williams park at 32nd and Sutherland. Honoring the civic leader and former CEO of the Indiana Black Expo, the park has an amphitheater, playground, and other recreational areas. It also has a shelter for Monon users caught in the rain. And, like all but the largest Indy parks, it has no restroom facilities.

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Riverside Promenade

On the west side, the city cut the ribbon in October on about 1-1/3 miles of the Riverside Promenade, which runs along the west side of East Riverside Drive from 16th Street north before curving to follow 29th Street to the White River bridge (and, presumably, the White River-Wapahani Trail). The broad asphalt strip is punctuated at intervals by patterns painted on its surface and “nodes” with rest stops and interpretive signage. Trail users can access the Burdsall Parkway bike lanes and (sometimes) facilities at the recreation center.

Capital Avenue Bike Lane

On a similar topic, DPW continues to build a buffered bike lane along Capital from Fall Creek to 18th Street. The existing “dirty bike stripe” on the west edge of the street will be decommissioned and bikes will have a protected path on the east side. It isn’t striped yet, but appears to wide enough for a bidirectional lane similar to that on Illinois south of 18th. At the same time, a bike lane from the Monon to Capital along 22nd is taking shape, but the last blocks won’t be finished any time soon due to a giant hole created by every Indy resident’s favorite traffic hazard, DigIndy. Speaking of which, the detour on the Fall Creek Greenway trail between 32nd and 34th has been closed and the trail now follows its mapped route again. One has to wonder why, in a project that cost more than two billion dollars, the city couldn’t find an extra $25K to put some restrooms in that space.

Watch this space for more updates as the gummint infrastructure cash trickles down to reshape our streets…

copyright © 2023 scmrak

Hamilton County Opens Nickel Plate Trail from 96th Street to Noblesville

Hamilton County (Indiana) multiuse trail enthusiasts got another link in their network recently as the local government opened the southernmost section of the Nickel Plate Trail through southern Fishers. Clocking in at just over eight miles, the paved trail extends northward from a spot just north of 96th Street to Noblesville. The south end awaits construction of a safe crossing of 96th Street into Indianapolis, terminating behind a 24-hour veterinary clinic. At the north end, the trail slams head-on into the construction known as the Pleasant Street Reimagination. 

Nickel Plate Trail map (north to right)

EDITED 11/15/23: The trail now extends all the way through along 8th street, skirting roundabouts at Vine and Mulberry Streets. As of 7 November, the Midland Trace was still inaccessible; although the White River Trail was open as far south as Division Street. Construction continues.