Fall Creek Trail Phase 1

As part of the Indy Greenways Master Plan, the City of Indianapolis identified a need to connect the White River Greenway, Canal Towpath, Cultural Trail, and Monon Trail with an extension of the Fall Creek Trail, as envisioned by the renowned City Planner and Landscape Architect George Kessler.

As the prime consultant for this 1.8-mile, 10-foot-wide trail, IEI provided trail design, grading and drainage design, utility coordination, pertinent permitting, and contract document preparation in accordance with the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) Local Public Agency (LPA) process.

During the environmental process, the project was almost delayed because the proposed pedestrian bridge was thought to adversely affect the viewshed of the historic bridges in the area. IEI performed an alternatives analysis to evaluate solutions to eliminate the pedestrian bridge from the plans. IEI’s favored solution was to convert Fall Creek Parkway S. Drive to a one-way westbound roadway and repurpose the existing left turn lane on the historic Capitol Ave. bridge to carry trail users over Fall Creek. The proposed alternative was approved by the city, allowing the project to be delivered on time.