Canal Esplanade Flows Forward

Rendering courtesy Browning Day Mullins Dierdorf.

The City of Indianapolis is reviewing bids for the Canal Esplanade—a major enhancement of the Central Canal Towpath between Guilford and College avenues. The project complements The Coil apartments project currently under construction adjacent to the towpath. Not only will the Esplanade improve bike and pedestrian accessibility, but it will also wrap around a small plaza at the Coil site that provides outdoor space for Fresh Thyme Farmers Market. According to Mark Zwoyer, project manager for the City’s Department of Public Works, construction could start in early summer. “It is supposed to be substantially complete by September 1,” he said. The reason for the tight time frame is so that construction will not interfere with the grand opening of Fresh Thyme in September. Zwoyer said Right of Entry agreements have already been obtained from adjacent properties. The Esplanade will also include benches and recycling bins, an attractive lighting scheme, and lots of landscaping, including more than 9,000 flowering bulbs, more than 50 trees along the corridor, and hundreds of flowering shrubs.