INDIANAPOLIS — Construction is scheduled to begin next week on the Henry Street bridge over the White River on Indianapolis' near west side, Indy DPW announced Thursday.
The bridge is phase two of a three-phase White River Innovation District project. The goal is to help connect Elanco’s global headquarters on the west side of the river to downtown.
“It’s going to be a major cultural destination. It’s going to be an important focal point for the city and it’s going to be an important asset for the near west side,” said Indy DPW Director Brandon Herget.
The project is adjacent to Keystone Group’s Eleven Park project, which has been stalled for months.
Both projects received pushback earlier this year after fragments of human remains were discovered on both sites.
Back in June, Indy DPW unveiled its final plans for archeological work on the site and promised to excavate the area first.
Starting next week, crews will start the second phase of the bridge project on the west side of the river. While that’s happening, archeologists will soon start Phase 3 on the east side of the river, where the cemetery is located.
That’s where archeologists will do an excavation of the one-acre site and move any burials that could be impacted.
“So that will begin later this year. We are still in the process of finalizing, both with the community advisory group that we established and the state, the final plans for that archeological-led excavation,” Herget said.
Leon Bates, a local historian and activist, is part of that community advisory group. He and others are helping guide the city’s handling of human remains from the former Greenlawn Cemetery.
“The powers to be decided the bridge will be built and this is probably the best option is to actually go in and seek out those that are left behind and move them,” Bates said.
He believes it could take several months to fully understand the scope of the excavation site.
“The number that is now being used is approximately 650 people per acre and the city’s got a couple of acres they are dealing with, so they can be facing easily 600 to 1,000 people,” Bates said.
Ahead of the construction, Indy DPW will close the White River Greenway, also known as the White River Trail, between Kentucky Avenue and Washington Street on or after Tuesday, Sept. 3.
The department shared the following detour for bicyclists and pedestrians: follows Washington Street, the Indianapolis Cultural Trail along Capitol Avenue, South Street, Missouri Street, McCarty Street and Kentucky Avenue.
South White River Parkway will also be closed on our after the same date from Washington Street to Oliver Avenue, with a detour following Harding Street.
Garmong Construction will begin its work by removing bridge piers in the White River north of Oliver Avenue before starting on bridge construction on the west side of the levee later in 2024.
More information on the project can be found at this website.
