Construction set to begin on a first-of-its-kind community bridge

Groundbreaking takes place Tuesday on a first-of-its-kind community bridge. 

The bridge spanning Indianapolis’ Fall Creek at West Street and Riley Hospital Drive will connect 16 Tech Innovation District to the city’s research and medical corridor and downtown.

Emily Krueger, president and CEO of 16 Tech Community Corporation, said the structure will prioritize accessibility, pedestrians and cyclists.

“More than 50 percent of the bridge is dedicated to multimodal users. There's one lane of vehicular traffic in each direction. And that's a change that we accommodated through the design process,” Krueger said. “We actually reduce the amount of vehicular space on the bridge. And then there's also dedicated spaces for walkers as well as bike users.”

The structure also reinterprets the principles of a classic suspension bridge design to create an entirely new form – a first in the United States.

“We've taken a traditional bridge and inverted it to create something new, something that truly is unique, and represents an iconic piece of architecture for our city," Krueger said.

Right now, the bridge’s name is a bit of a placeholder.

“We are looking for a partner who might help us name the bridge and do so in a way that acknowledges the importance of its role in the neighborhood as well as potentially through a naming sponsorship generates funding to secure the long-term maintenance of the bridge, as well as some additional infrastructure projects in the district,” Krueger said.

The bridge is scheduled to open in the summer of 2024.

Contact WFYI Morning Edition newscaster and reporter Taylor Bennett at tbennett@wfyi.org. Follow on Twitter: @TaylorB2213.