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.

Indy's East-side Cyclists get More Options

Pennsy Trail signage

A blurb in the Indianapolis Star a few months ago mentioned that the Parks Department had closed a gap in the Pennsy Trail on the city's far east side. This rail-to-trail offering parallels the old National Road, aka US 40, also known as Washington Street. The Ms grew up in the Irvington neighborhood, so we thought it might be interesting to check out this new section of trail, which reaches from Post Road to Shortridge (the street, not the high school).

At its western end (as of this writing, anyway) the trail connects with the Pleasant Run Parkway multiuse trail at Ellenberger Park via a wide sidewalk along Ritter. After a little bit of twisting and turning along Bonna Avenue, the trail takes off, arrow straight, headed for Greenfield. Well, headed for Mt. Comfort Road, actually – more on that later.

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.