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.

Click for larger image

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 to Complete its Loop

Hamilton County cities Carmel and Fishers recently released plans to build a 14-foot pedestrian/bicycle bridge across White River, filling a half-mile gap in 106th Street. The planned bridge will connect Hazel (Dell) Landing on the Carmel side to Heritage Park at White River on the opposite bank, according to a spokesperson for Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation.

Planned 106th Street Bridge, Carmel-Fishers

Bids for the project are expected to open today, July 20, 2023.  In total, the bridge is expected to be some 500 feet long and connect existing trails in the two parks. On the west side, 106th Street already has a multiuse trail alongside the roadway, ending at Hazel Dell Parkway; which is mirrored by a similar trail on the Fishers side.

Trail Updates and Down-Lows

You Shall Go No Further!

There’ve been interesting developments on the local multiuse trails of late, so here’s the latest that I know about. First, the Monon Rail Trail detour around the North Split construction is no more: traffic has resumed following the original pathway beneath I-65 to 10th Street, where you can connect with the easternmost leg of the Cultural Trail. In theory, you can connect with the Pogue’s Run trail too, though when I last went through, the sidewalk was mostly blocked by construction signs between the Monon and Dorman Street. The loop that runs alongside College is closed, though you can go west from the main trail.

Indy DPW to Block Motorists from Monon Trail

Preparing for new bollards at East 49th Street

In apparent response to media coverage (on WTHR television and in the Indianapolis Star) about motorists driving on local multiuse trails, Indy’s Department of Public Works has taken action. Beginning on March 22, 2023, DPW has begun the installation of bollards to block vehicular traffic on certain segments of the Monon Trail; as well as some portions of the Pennsy Trail. Similar traffic-calming devices have long been in place on trails in Hamilton County, especially the highly popular Monon Trail.

Indy’s Most Dangerous Bike Trail Intersections: Number Four

After the senseless death of local cyclist Frank Radaker at Monon Trail and 86th Street (October, 2021), members of the Indy bicycle community asked Indy officials for changes to make cycling in the city safer. To our knowledge, there has been a change. By “a change,” we mean only one: traffic engineers reprogrammed the crossing lights for that one intersection; giving trail users a window of a few seconds while no motor vehicle lane has a green light. Now, if those engineers could just reprogram the drivers who ignore those highly visible “no turn on red” signs at the intersection…

Although it's certainly dangerous, in our opinion the intersection where Frank died is not the most dangerous street crossing in Indy, and not even the most dangerous intersection of a multi-use trail with a street. Without further ado, here is our next nomination for the bottom six street crossings in Marion County; the site where Radaker was killed…

Monon Trail Work Completed... Sort of

Well, it snowed yesterday, and that means – of course – that after eight long months, contractors have (finally) finished their work on the southern half of the Monon Trail in Marion County; the detour under the North Split not included. In other words, from 14th Street to the north entrance to Canterbury Park (about 56th Street), the pavement is finished. Every crossing has freshly painted crosswalk markings, and those irritating dropoffs where asphalt meets concrete at the street junctions are, at least for now, level and even. With the exception of a couple of spots where workers left tracked-vehicle ruts, the pavement is as smooth as a baby's behind.

2022: the Indy Cyclist's Summer from Hell

Never mind that the weather so far this year has been abnormally hot (an even dozen 90-plus degree days so far this year, including one of 99°) and, for most cyclists' tastes, a tad windy. No, we who choose two wheels and muscle power are inured to the fickleness of the weather gods. What's getting our goat this year is how much stress DPW and private construction companies are putting on cyclists. 

Take the Monon Rail Trail. Sure, purists and wannabe TdF competitors claim to eschew the trail, but take a look at it on the Strava heat map: it's white-hot! Well, it's a lot less white-hot this year...

More Monon Construction Begins; Fall Creek Trail Blocked

Updated 10 July 2022

The Monon south of Fall Creek is again closed in two sections. The original asphalt between 22nd and 25th Streets and between 29 Street and Sutherland has been scraped off and crews are working throughout the week. This is in addition to closures north of the Fairgrounds. Detours are marked, if somewhat poorly, and there is a nearly useless map posted on the DPW website (it does have a moderately useful timeline chart). You might want to ignore the "official" detour and use the marked bike lanes on Pennsylvania and Illinois/Capitol, although none is in particularly good condition.

Usable version of the DPW's "South Monon Bicycle Detour"

Monon trail closure

After three months of poorly-marked detours on streets that bear a striking resemblance to jeep trails, reconstruction work on the southern three miles of Indy's Monon Rail Trail is essentially complete. Only the detour around North Split construction south of 14th Street remain, a section that will not be completed for many months. Three sections of the trail have been widened and resurfaced: 16th to 23rd, 25th to 28th, and Sutherland to Fall Creek. With the exception of sections temporarily closed for the removal of equipment and tree trimming, the trail is now open between 42nd and 10th Streets.

Now begins the next phase: Fall Creek to 56th Street.

Monon Construction Update - June 27, 2022

June 29th: 

See next newer post...

Updated: 27 June 2022:

Still no activity other than tree trimming between 49th and Fall Creek Greenway. Barrier to southbound traffic removed at Fall Creek bridge, so (logically speaking) the section north of Sutherland is now open. Detour signs still litter the area, however. 

Updated: 23 June 2022: 

Signs are posted at 56th, 52nd, and 49th Streets advising that the trail will be closed "On or after June 20, 2022." Trail is open as of this date. Survey markings, flags, and stakes are abundant plus there is heavy tree and brush trimming on the east side of the trail between 46th and 42nd. No other changes in status.

Work Begins on Indy's Monon Rail Trail

Typical Monon detour

Get ready, Monon users, 'cause here it comes!

If you happened to brave the mid-March weather last week and put in a few miles on the Monon Trail, you might have noticed the signs posted at several locations along the southern portion of the trail. They mentioned that the trail would be closed for construction "on or after March 28th." They aren't kidding...

Carmel to Close Monon 10 Months for Improvements

One of the busiest stretches of multiuse trail anywhere in the Indy Metro area will close for almost a year beginning on January 17, 2022. The Monon rail trail will be blocked off from Monon Green Boulevard (just south of Carter Green, site of Carmel’s Saturday morning farmer’s market and the Christkindlmarkt) to the tunnel that runs beneath City Center Drive. Local authorities say that the project, which will feature improvements including four feet of wider trail (see artist's rendering at right), will close the trail for some ten months.

Monon Closure at SR32 Bridge, October 2021

Last week (Saturday, October 9, to be precise) we noticed that Westfield had placed barriers at the south end of the new State Road 32 bridge on the Monon Trail. The signs warned that "on or after October 11" the trail would be closed. 

"Huh," we said, "Wonder why?"

Westfield Installs Signal at Monon/161st Crossing

HAWK crossing signal for drivers

Although the city of Westfield announced plans some years ago to build a tunnel for the Monon Trail under 161st Street similar to the one under 116th Street, those plans are still in the future. While they await funding for a multi-million dollar tunnel, the city has placed a HAWK pushbutton signal at the crossing; similar to that on the Midland Trace trail at Hazel Dell Road. Trail users now have a large pushbutton mounted on the right-hand side of the trail for both approaches and a pedestrian crossing signal just like a normal street corner.

North Split Work Creates Monon Detour

 

Monon detour

The multi-year highway project that will redo the I-70/I-65 junction northeast of Indy's downtown has begun, with the attendant road closures and detours to I-465 and/or surface streets. Since the city's beloved Monon Rails-to-Trail pathway passes near the center of the work zone, Indy has built a detour to allow trail users to stay off the streets. Unlike the temporary detours created for the 38th Street bridge earlier this year, the city has built a paved pathway (mostly) to take the traffic. No piles of #3 gravel this time. 

Traffic detours west of the existing trail to College Avenue, adding about half a mile to the trail's total length. At the south end, users follow 10th Street west to a new strip of asphalt that parallels the interstate and then turns north at the sidewalk along College. Half of the trail along College is the existing concrete sidewalk, half is fresh asphalt in the "parking strip" between sidewalk and curb. There are still a few bugs to work out, including existing curb cuts and some sloppy corners. 

Temporary Monon Detour in Carmel

south to approach City Center Dr/ tunnel

In a recent press release, Carmel-Clay recreation says that, as of about April 17, 2021, the tunnel by which the Monon Trail passes under City Center Drive / 126th Street is closed for repairs and a facelift of sorts. According to their announcement, the trail will be closed through most or all of May, but re-open in time for a conference taking place in the town in early June. Work includes washing, patches, and a mural to be painted by Carmel HS band members.

Happy-happy, Joy-joy: the Monon's 38th Street Bridge is now open!

New Monon Trail bridge over 38th Street

 I kid you not: even though there are still detour signs on the north approach, you can happily ignore them: the multi-million-dollar Monon Trail bridge over 38th Street is now open. Unlike the 146th Street and IN 32 bridges in Hamilton County, the new bridge features shallow-angle approaches, with a gentle curve at both ends that allows the bridge to cross the street at a right angle. Mayor Hogsett cut a ribbon to open the bridge on Friday, March 12th. No word on whether he was riding his fat-tire bike at the time.

Good News, Bad News on Westfield Bridge

Updated: 

Some time around Memorial Day, Westfield opened the bridge to traffic. Two things to know:

• There's a road (access to restaurants?) that crosses the south approach. I'll just say that it's "inconvenient" amd leave it at that. Southbound riders be aware.
• The surface is not particularly smooth.

Artist's conception, Westfield's Monon bridge

A Monon Bridge over 38th Street... Finally

Mayor Hogsett's bike

Indy's been promising for years to build a bridge over 38th Street for people using the Monon Trail. The trail crossing at the southwest corner of the State Fairgrounds has long been considered a "deathtrap," as cyclists, joggers, and walkers were forced to cross six lanes of traffic on one of the north side's most heavily traveled cross-town throughways. Construction began in March, 2020, on  a $5.5 million¹, seventeen-foot-tall pedestrian bridge, which — if progress on Westfield's bridge over SH 32 is any indication — should be finished some time in 2021. Or maybe 2022.

Not bad for a feature that's been promised since 2015, eh?

Hamilton County Opens New Section of Monon

What's arguably Indy's favorite multipurpose trail can now take cyclists (and hardy runners) almost all the way across Hamilton County as well as between Mass Ave and SoBro. On Wednesday,  county officials cut the ribbon on a newly-paved section some three miles long, giving users access to an off-street trail that now reaches all the way to the outskirts of Sheridan, nearly at the Hamilton-Boone County line.

Letting it Out On the Monon

You know those “Let it Out” comments in the Indianapolis Star? Sure you do – it’s where locals submit comments too short for a letter to the editor. There are quips, jokes, and lots of bumper-sticker ideas for solving difficult problems… oh, yeah, and a lot of political statements made by people so clueless you wonder why they're allowed to vote. But enough about that: last week, someone wrote in about the “mean” cyclists on the Monon Trail. The complaints? Not warning pedestrians as you pass them and using a strobe light. “The trail ain’t a disco,” was the complaint.