Parts of White River Parkway and trail will close for Henry Street bridge work
(MIRROR INDY) — A portion of the South White River Parkway and White River Greenway will close beginning Sept. 6 due to the start of Henry Street Bridge construction.
According to the Department of Public Works, the South White River Parkway will close between Washington Street and Oliver Avenue. A detour will be about a half mile west of Oliver Avenue on Harding Street.
The White River Greenway will close between Kentucky Avenue and Washington Street. The detour for the trail will take cyclists and pedestrians downtown along Washington Street and the Indianapolis Cultural Trail along Capitol Avenue, South Street, Missouri Street, McCarty Street and Kentucky Avenue.
The parkway and greenway will close for the duration of the project, which is expected to last until fall 2026.
The Henry Street bridge is the second phase of the three-phase White River Innovation District project, which is being done in conjunction with the redevelopment of the former GM stamping plant.
The bridge project will intersect with two of the four historic cemeteries collectively known as Greenlawn Cemetery. Human remains were uncovered on the city’s site in 2023 during utility exploration. In June, city officials announced that they would pursue a full excavation of human remains on their portion of the cemetery before constructing the final phase of the Henry Street bridge project.
Construction of the west side of the bridge will begin this week, but construction of the east side of the bridge will not begin until the Community Advisory Group and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources approve plans for the archaeological work. DPW said it expects archaeological work to begin in fall 2024 with bridge construction beginning in early spring 2025.
Find out more
For more information and project updates, head to DPW’s White River Innovation District website.
Mirror Indy reporter Enrique Saenz covers west Indianapolis. Contact him at 317-983-4203 or enrique.saenz@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @heyEnriqueSaenz.