Relocating to a new city brings its own challenges and opportunities. One evening after work, I set out to explore Indianapolis, Indiana, and visited three significant bridges.
The first was the West 30th Street Bridge, a closed-spandrel concrete arch bridge crossing the White River. Designed by Henry W. Klaussman and built in 1908, it features a Melan arch design with limestone cladding and railings. The bridge is noted as an outstanding example of the City Beautiful movement, forming part of the Indianapolis Park and Boulevard System.
By the 21st century, the bridge had deteriorated and needed significant rehabilitation. After reviewing three proposals, the Indianapolis Department of Public Works chose to replace the Melan arch with a reinforced concrete one. Efforts are underway to reuse the original limestone cladding and railings. The travel lanes will be widened from 10 to 11 feet, slightly narrowing the sidewalks and multi-use paths. A crash-tested George Washington-style railing will separate the sidewalks from the travel lanes, and new five-globe light fixtures, historically appropriate, will replace the current lighting.
Nearby, an abandoned railroad bridge over the White River holds potential for conversion into a trail. The structure, once used by the Indianapolis Union Railway and later by CSX after 2000, now stands unused.
The Indianapolis Union Railway was established in 1850 as the Union Track Railway, adopting its current name in 1853. The first bridge over the White River was rebuilt in 1886 as a wrought iron Pratt through truss. However, with declining business north of the river, CSX discontinued service on the line in 2014.
South of downtown lies another disused rail line, whose pony and through truss bridge over Big Eagle Creek is a prime candidate for trail conversion. This bridge was originally part of the Indianapolis & Vincennes Railroad and later the Pennsylvania Railroad.
The Indianapolis & Vincennes Railroad, founded in 1865, was created to link Indianapolis and Vincennes. The Pennsylvania Railroad assumed financial responsibility for the line with plans to extend it to Cairo, Illinois, though this extension was never completed, leaving the railroad in financial difficulty until coal mining began in Greene County in 1884.
Eventually, Conrail took over the Indianapolis & Vincennes Railroad, severing part of the line between downtown and Eagle Creek in 1978 and abandoning two other sections in 1984. Today, the Indiana Southern Railroad operates what remains of the original line, although the section over Big Eagle Creek is unused, as it no longer serves any active customers.
