Construction to the Henry Street bridge over the White River on Indianapolis' west side started this week, according to Indianapolis Department of Public Works (Indy DPW).
The bridge is phase two of a three-phase White River Innovation District project. The goal is to help connect Elanco’s global headquarters on the west side of the river to downtown.
“It’s going to be a major cultural destination. It’s going to be an important focal point for the city and it’s going to be an important asset for the near west side,” said Brandon Herget Indy DPW Director.
Both projects received pushback earlier this year after fragments of human remains were discovered on both sites.
In June, Indy DPW unveiled its final plans for archeological work on the site and promised to excavate the area first.
While the second phase of the project is underway, archeologists will soon start phase three on the east side of the river, where the cemetery is located.
That’s where archeologists will do an excavation of the one-acre site and move any burials that could be impacted.
“So that will begin later this year. We are still in the process of finalizing, both with the community advisory group that we established and the state, the final plans for that archeological-led excavation,” Herget said.
Leon Bates, a local historian and activist, is part of that community advisory group. He and others are helping guide the city’s handling of human remains from the former Greenlawn Cemetery.
“The powers to be decided the bridge will be built and this is probably the best option is to actually go in and seek out those that are left behind and move them,” Bates said.
He believes it could take several months to fully understand the scope of the excavation site.
“The number that is now being used is approximately 650 people per acre and the city’s got a couple of acres they are dealing with, so they can be facing easily 600 to 1,000 people,” Bates said.
Ahead of the construction, Indy DPW will close the White River Greenway, also known as the White River Trail, between Kentucky Avenue and Washington Street later this week.
South White River Parkway will also be closed on our after the same date from Washington Street to Oliver Avenue, with a detour following Harding Street.
Garmong Construction will begin its work by removing bridge piers in the White River north of Oliver Avenue before starting on bridge construction on the west side of the levee later this year.
Source: WISHTV.com, WTHR.com
