Project will give pedestrians more room to cross bridge over Interstate 65/70

WRTV's Taj Simmons tells us how a temporary safety project will improve safety for pedestrians near Indy's Fountain Square and Fletcher Place neighborhoods.

Prioritizing pedestrian safety near Fountain Square and Fletcher Place neighborhoods

By: Taj Simmons

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Cultural Trail on Virginia Avenue is a community asset for both Fountain Square and Fletcher Place, but pedestrians may feel squeezed out on other bridges between the neighborhoods. A project will soon provide space to walk and bike across another crossing.

Neighbors will soon install temporary barriers on Calvary Street across Interstate 65/70. When it is in place, pedestrians and cyclists can safely use a lane normally reserved for cars.

"This is a great way to say, 'What can we do as a group of neighbors to actually improve our infrastructure,'" said Fountain Square Neighborhood Association president Dakota Pawlicki.

Barriers will be installed on the south side of Calvary Street in April and will be removed in October. The project will also include a permanent paint job for the bridge's median.

The barriers are currently sitting in Pawlicki's driveway before neighbors paint them this weekend.

Pawlicki said the temporary project is needed because the sidewalks on Calvary Street are not wide enough for pedestrians with pets or strollers. He believes it is the best option for now due to its cost.

"This project is $13,000," Pawlicki said. "All of the money from our side comes from donations from neighbors who said, 'Yes, this is important to us.'"

Ashley Floyd lives near the bridge and constantly uses the Cultural Trail to walk her dog. She is looking forward to the improvements.

"Before work, I always come do a little lap to Bovaconti and down Cultural Trail," Floyd said. "I don't think I could ever live in another situation where I couldn't walk out of my house and walk down the street comfortably."

Pawlicki said the barriers are the best way right now to connect two neighborhoods separated by a highway.

"Any attempt we can make to reduce that divide is one that is worth pursuing," Pawlicki said.

The project will also feature temporary safety measures on McCarty Street and College Avenue.