From the banks of the White River, City officials and community members celebrated the Henry Street Bridge groundbreaking. This skyline-altering project will provide a vital new connection to Downtown Indianapolis from the west side, enhancing connectivity and supporting the continued growth of LEVEE, formerly the White River Innovation District.
Once the bridge is completed, westside residents will have multi-modal options to get to and from Downtown via the expanded Indianapolis Cultural Trail: A Legacy of Gene and Marilyn Glick—designed for bike and pedestrian travel—and vehicular lanes. This bridge will also play a key role in supporting the new Elanco Global Headquarters currently under construction as part of the LEVEE development and is a majority pedestrian facility.
Mayor Joe Hogsett emphasized the importance of the project, stating, “This week, with the opening of the South Street addition of the Indianapolis Cultural Trail and the announcement of White River State Park’s expansion, we are seeing major developments begin to come to life as we enter a transformational period for the west side of Downtown. The Henry Street Bridge will be a critical new link in our city, making Downtown Indianapolis more accessible to our west side communities than ever before.”
The Indianapolis Cultural Trail (ICT), an iconic part of the city’s bike and pedestrian framework, will also extend to cross the Henry Street Bridge. Kären Haley, Executive Director of ICT, expressed her enthusiasm for the expansion. “The extension of the Cultural Trail onto the Henry Street Bridge gives people on the west side more ways to bike, walk, and enjoy the beauty of the inner city. This bridge is more than a physical connection; it’s a pathway to community engagement and shared experiences.”
In the Valley Neighborhood, neighbors are eager about the project and the ways it will improve quality of life. Jay Napoleon, a representative of the Valley Community, shared, “Our neighborhood excitedly waits for the completion of this new bridge. This project, alongside the development of the White River State Park, will breathe new life into our community. We’re ecstatic to see what’s to come and how it will improve the quality of life for everyone here.”
As Elanco’s new Global Headquarters takes shape within the district, the bridge serves as more than just a new river crossing—it’s an essential piece of infrastructure for the company and its workforce. Dave Kinard, Executive Vice President of Elanco, remarked, “We are honored to take up our headquarters near one of the largest urban state parks in the country. This new bridge will not only help posture our organization for success but will posture White River State Park and these westside communities for success as well.”
As part of this groundbreaking event, City officials shared updates on the ongoing archeological excavation of the Greenlawn site, located on the east side of the river. This historically significant site is home to the city’s first cemetery and continues to reveal valuable insights into Indianapolis’ past.
Brandon Herget, Director the Indianapolis Department of Public Works (DPW), expressed his gratitude to the community and project partners that stand beside DPW. “Directly across from us today is the site of Indianapolis’ first cemetery, commonly referred to as Greenlawn. As this bridge takes us across the river, it forces us to wrestle with the fact that for generations some of our city’s first residents and pioneers have been forgotten and disrespected by development over and over again. I want to thank Deputy Mayor Judith Thomas and all of the members of the Community Advisory Group who used their voices to speak up, call our attention to these issues, and challenge us to not continue to make the mistakes of our past.”
The Henry Street Bridge is a transformative infrastructure project designed to provide added vehicular and pedestrian connectivity between the west side of Indianapolis and Downtown, and to reduce congestion on Oliver Avenue and Washington Street that will be experienced with the LEVEE developments. This project, funded in part by the Lilly Endowment, will represent a $43.6 million investment into the city’s west side. It includes architecturally significant components such as the 80-foot rings equipped with programmable lighting that circle the bridge and plazas where people can gather and view cultural artwork. The project’s anticipated completion date is set for late 2026.