INDIANAPOLIS — On Wednesday, city leaders broke ground on the new Henry Street bridge connecting downtown to the near west side of Indianapolis and Elanco’s new global headquarters.
It will extend over the White River between Washington and Oliver streets.
“We are finally seeing it come to fruition, what’s has been a yearslong process really over the last 20 months or so — a project that’s become integral in the conversation we are having with the community about the expectations they have about safety and engagement,” said Brandon Herget, director of Indy DPW.
For those in the Valley neighborhood, the bridge is also a new chapter for their community.
"We are Indy's best-kept secret,” said Jay Napoleon, president of the Valley Neighborhood Association. “We are a place people only come by accident because of the lack of connectivity.”
For decades, Napoleon said the White River has served as a barrier between downtown and his neighborhood, but that’s now changing as construction crews move in to start work on the new bridge.
“You know it’s coming, but when you actually see it, it does give you goosebumps,” Napoleon said.
The bridge design includes 60% of dedicated pedestrian space, including an extension of the Cultural Trail.
It comes more than a decade after the GM Stamping Plant closed up shop, leaving many without a job and a community suffering.
"We didn't know what was coming next and it's been a very long journey,” Councilor Kristin Jones said.
For Jones, the fight has become personal. That's because she lives in the community, and her family worked at the plant.
“We've longed for that connectivity. We've felt distant from downtown. We've felt separated from downtown,” Jones said. "This bridge means so much to us. It’s more than a bridge,” Jones said.
Elanco continues to build its new global headquarters on the west side of the White River. On Tuesday, the state also announced an expansion of the White River State Park.
Neighbors hope the investments help bridge the gap for generations to come.
“The sky is the limit to what this neighborhood and what this area of downtown Indianapolis can mean for everybody,” Napoleon said.
The bridge is phase two of a three-phase White River Innovation District project.
The total cost is more than $40 million with the bridge expected to be completed in 2026.