Grants to expand Nickel Plate Trail in Fishers, Indianapolis, Noblesville

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indianapolis received $5 million, Fishers got $4.5 million and Noblesville acquired $3.1 million for an expansion of the Nickel Plate Trail, expanding it for the first time into the Circle City.

The cities’ efforts will create a 17-mile trail with a pedestrian bridge where the bicycling, running and walking route will cross the border for Fishers and Indianapolis. The corridor would run from the northeast corner of the Indiana State Fairgrounds to a street near downtown Noblesville.

Indianapolis will create a trail from the northeast corner of the Indiana State Fairgrounds to the Hamilton County border. The Indianapolis project also will connect the Monon Trail by a link along 42nd Street, include a half-mile trail spur to Sahm Park, and create a second trail spur along 62nd Street to Eastwood Middle School. The Indianapolis Department of Public Works will be managing the project that costs more than $12 million in total.

Fishers will add 1.30 miles of new asphalt trail from 96th to 106th street. At 106th Street, the new trail will connect to the existing Nickel Plate, which travels north 3.8 miles to 146th Street, where it meets Noblesville’s project. Fishers will construct the pedestrian bridge at 96th Street. The new trail also will connect to an existing side path on 106th Street, as well as a side path on Hague Road.

Noblesville will add 2.70 miles of trail from Pleasant Street to 146th Street. At the northern terminus along Pleasant Street, the new trail would eventually intersect with another Noblesville trail in the works, the Midland Trace Trail.

The grants came from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ Next Level Trail program, which announced the grants on Wednesday.