FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 24, 2024 City announces final
plans for Henry Street Bridge construction
INDIANAPOLIS – On Monday, the Indianapolis Department of
Public Works announced it has received a $15 million grant from Lilly Endowment
Inc. to help fund architecturally significant design elements and enhancements
to the future Henry Street Bridge. The announcement was made ahead of a
community meeting regarding the Henry Street Bridge and adjacent projects,
which include new roadways on each side of the White River.
The meeting is
scheduled for 5 p.m. tonight at Edison School of the Arts, Inc. 47 (777 S.
White River Parkway Dr. W.).
The construction of the Henry Street Bridge
originates from an agreement between the city, the state and Elanco that calls
for the city to build out the infrastructure supporting the animal health
company’s new global headquarters on the west side of the White River. In
March, Lilly Endowment approved a $15 million grant to enable the construction
of the Henry Street Bridge to include the Circle City Gateway design that was
presented to the public in May 2023 following an extensive public input
process. The design includes architecturally significant elements such as
80-foot rings with programmable lighting that encircle the bridge, plazas that
provide spaces for people to gather and view public art, and distinctive
plantings and other horticultural features. “Earlier this year, Lilly Endowment
was informed that the city no longer had sufficient funding to build the
version of the Henry Street Bridge that had been presented to the public,” said
Ronni Kloth, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for community development. “Given
the historic expansion and redevelopment of the southwest quadrant of downtown
Indianapolis, we at Lilly Endowment were compelled to help ensure that the
bridge is constructed in a manner that distinguishes Indianapolis’ skyline and
serves as a cultural amenity to benefit broad and diverse audiences.” For more
than a year, city officials have been meeting with community members regarding
the Henry Street Bridge and an adjacent roadway project, which occupies a
one-acre portion of the city’s first cemetery, a collection of four long-abandoned
cemeteries that are often referred to collectively as Greenlawn Cemetery.
Despite 100+ years of previous development on the site, many gravesites are
believed to be buried under concrete and additional soil that was imported for
previous development projects.
“Earlier this year, a consortium of community stakeholders,
including the city, approached Lilly Endowment to seek funding that would
enable the city to preserve the enhanced, architecturally significant plan for
the bridge without sacrificing thorough archaeology of the site,” said Mayor
Joe Hogsett. “We are grateful for Lilly Endowment’s support, which is
specifically and exclusively for the enhanced design of the Henry Street
Bridge.” The Indianapolis Cultural Trail: A Legacy of Gene and Marilyn Glick will
also expand as part of the construction of the Henry Street Bridge and other
adjacent developments, connecting The Valley and near Westside to downtown and
improving access to the cultural and recreational attractions within White
River State Park. "This new bridge is the only place the Cultural Trail
crosses the White River and we want to provide a place for people to engage
with and experience the river in a beautiful and accessible setting on the
Trail,” said Kären Haley, executive director for Indianapolis Cultural Trail,
Inc. “The architecturally significant bridge will help make the White River
expansion of the Indianapolis Cultural Trail a destination in itself and we
thank Lilly Endowment for making this possible."
To learn more about Indy DPW construction projects, visit
indy.gov/DPWprojects. ###
