Final Fall Creek Trail extension underway in Indianapolis, connecting to White River Trail

No longer will the Fall Creek Trail fade into oblivion on the north side, where some may find themselves staring down Google Maps and a nearby trail map to find a logical connection back into town.

By the middle of next summer, the last piece of the puzzle connecting an uninterrupted trail network between downtown Indianapolis and Fort Benjamin Harrison will be complete, city officials said Friday.

Underway is the second and final phase of the Fall Creek Trail extension, a $4.6 million project that extends the trail from its current stop at Burdsal Parkway and the Central Canal southward to the White River Trail at Indiana Avenue and 10th Street.

The federally funded project will include about a mile and a half of new trail, and a 350-foot pedestrian bridge across Fall Creek.

Leveraging local dollars from the Circle City Forward initiative to attract state and federal grants, the Department of Public Works will spend $37 million on trails and greenways across nine different projects throughout 2022 and 2023, including this one.

More: Indianapolis to focus Circle City Forward dollars on trails. Here's where.

Some of the other projects include widening the Monon Trail, upgrading the White River Trail and the new Indianapolis Cultural Trail extension along Indiana Avenue, which is expected to wrap up next spring.

"It is a great time for trail riders in the city of Indianapolis," Mayor Joe Hogsett said.

City County Council President Vop Osili pointed out that these investments are being made in neighborhoods, like Riverside and Near Northwest, that have historically not benefited from infrastructure investment.

"Which in my mind makes these investments about much more than level roads and sidewalks," he said. "They're about leveling the playing field."

The new section of trail will roughly follow Montcalm Street, cross the creek on the bridge to Aqueduct Street, cross 16th Street and cut through Martin Park.

Contact IndyStar transportation reporter Kayla Dwyer at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @kayla_dwyer17.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Final Fall Creek Trail extension is underway, wrapping summer 2023