On March 15, Mayor Joe Hogsett, City-County Council president Vop Osili, Rep. Carey Hamilton (HD87) and community leaders celebrated the kick-off of the first phase of the Monon Trail widening project. “After 23 years, the Monon Trail has essentially become an Indianapolis institution…one of the most successful attempts in our city’s history to connect neighborhoods,” the Mayor said in brief remarks. He said the estimated 3 million people who use the trail annually will benefit from the $1.65 million project that will widen and repave the path from 14th Street to 56th Street. The portion of the trail from 10th to 14th street will be handled later by INDOT as part of its North Split work. The second phase from 56th Street to 96th Street will take place next year. According to City of Indianapolis Department of Public Works director Dan Parker, the repaving will occur in eight phases. “We’ll alert the public when certain portions are being done,” he said. Parker noted that more than a billion dollars of economic investment has occurred around the trail since its creation.
