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.

Final Section of Fall Creek Trail Nears Completion

New section of Fall Creek Greenway Trail, Indianapolis

About twenty years after the first asphalt was laid in the hike-and-bike trail along Indy's Fall Creek, the Indianapolis Parks Department has (almost) completed the path. In the last year, the city has re-aligned and repaved the trail from 56th Street to Binford Boulevard, and (finally) provided a way across 38th Street that did not involve the sidewalk of the roadway's bridge. As of the past few weeks, the city has also extended the trail from 25th and Meridian to the western end of Fall Creek Boulevard where it becomes Burdsall Parkway.

Fall Creek Trail Repaving Complete

re-aligned and repaved section of
Fall Creek Trail

It took a couple of months, but the re-alignment and repaving of the eastern section of the Fall Creek Trail is finally complete (well, except for about 450 feet of top coat at the western end). Yes, fellow cyclists, you can now make the six-mile trip from the walk-through gate at Fort Harrison State Park to 38th Street with exactly one street crossing at the very beginning (Boy Scout Road).

Edco Construction stripped out the narrow, lumpy pavement along the length of the trail from Fall Creek Parkway and  Kessler to the parking area at Binford before laying all-new asphalt. It's wide and smooth now, a welcome change from the pavement that was in such poor condition that cyclists took to Fall Creek Parkway (where the pavement is in no better condition, come to think of it).

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.