INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indianapolis Department of Public works is applying for a grant to build a pedestrian bridge for the Monon Trail and Nickel Plate trail extension.

One bridge would span over the Monon at 86th Street, where cyclist and runners have to dash through a busy and dangerous intersection. A cyclist was struck and killed there in 2021.

Gareth Wilford owns Athletic Annex which is near the intersection. He holds running classes each week and urges his runners not to use the intersection.

“Always. We send people north on the trail just from a safety point of view, just crossing this road with big group of people, it’s just not safe,” Wilford said.

The second bridge would span over the Nickel Plate Trail extension at 82nd Street west of I-69. The trail is still under construction. District 4 City-County Councilor Nick Roberts represents that area.

“Pedestrian accidents happen every single day in this city, but thankfully most of them are not fatal,” Roberts said. But obviously one is too much. I had a friend a couple of months ago who was hit pretty severely by a car. It happens all over the city all the time.”

Roberts, and City-County Councilor Brienne Delaney, whose district covers some of the Monon Trail, are both behind the city’s efforts to secure the Grant through the Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program.

“We’re looking to have as strong as an application process for our grant,” Roberts said. “We need to be really competitive, because it would be a huge boost for the city to have bridges over these two busy thoroughfares.”

Grant applications are due on June 17. the federal government will cover 80% of the cost while the city takes care of the rest. It’s still to early to determine when the construction would start.