Fall Creek Bridge (Monon)

The Fall Creek Bridge is a through truss and pony truss structures that carried the Monon Railroad over Fall Creek in Indianapolis, Indiana.

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The Fall Creek Bridge is a combination of Warren through truss and Pratt pony truss structures that once carried the Monon Railroad over Fall Creek and the adjacent Fall Creek Parkway in Indianapolis, Indiana. After the rail line was abandoned, the bridge was repurposed as part of the Monon Trail.

Originally, the Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Railway was completed to Indianapolis around 1881, providing a connection to Chicago. A bridge over Fall Creek was essential to this route. This bridge was later updated, with a double-intersection Warren through truss installed in 1914 by the Wisconsin Bridge Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and a Pratt pony truss main span constructed by the American Bridge Works of Chicago in 1892.

In 1882, the railroad began branding itself as “The Monon Route” on company maps, a nickname derived from the convergence of its main routes in Monon. ¹ In 1897, the railroad was reorganized as the Chicago, Indianapolis, and Louisville Railway (CIL). At its peak, the CIL’s mainline connected Chicago to Indianapolis and Louisville to Michigan City.

Decades later, the CIL’s successor, the Louisville & Nashville Railroad (L&N), began to abandon sections of the Monon. In Indianapolis, it started with the segment from 17th Street (MP 181) to 10th Street (MP 181.7) in 1976. ² This was followed by the closure of the 17th Street to 22nd Street segment (MP 180.48). Similarly, the Norfolk & Western Railway (formerly Nickel Plate) abandoned its tracks from 10th Street to 13th Street in 1974. These actions disconnected both railroads from downtown Indianapolis, with both lines previously linking to the Penn Central at 10th Street.

In 1984, L&N further abandoned the line from Frankfort (MP 137.5) to 22nd Street in Indianapolis (MP 180.47). ² The section from Frankfort to Delphi (MP 112.22) was taken out of service in 1992, followed by the Delphi to Monticello segment (MP 98) in 1993. The final remaining segment near Monticello (MP 88.33 to MP 98) was abandoned in 2014. The remainder of the Monon near Indianapolis, known as CSX 0QA, remains operational.

The Monon Trail’s development in Indianapolis began in 1995 with a 2.96-mile paved segment connecting 86th Street and Westfield Boulevard in Indianapolis. ³ This initial stretch linked the business areas of 86th Street and Broad Ripple with the Indianapolis Art Center, a YMCA, the White River, and the Central Canal Tow Path.

Work on the subsequent phases began in 1997. ³ The project added 3.55 miles from Westfield Boulevard to Fall Creek Parkway, including a bridge over the parkway. This extension provided access to the Indiana State Fairgrounds and the Fall Creek Greenway. The fourth and fifth phases, built from 2002 to 2004, extended the trail from Fall Creek Parkway to 10th Street. This phase included rehabilitating a bridge over Fall Creek and adding connections to Douglass Park and J. T. V. Hill Park.

As of 2024, the Monon Trail spans 27 miles of asphalt across Marion and Hamilton counties, from 10th Street in Indianapolis to 236th Street in Sheridan. It connects four parks, nine neighborhoods, and six landmarks and is a component of the Indy Greenways system. It is used by more than 1.3 million people annually. ^{4 5}

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Details

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Sources

1. “History Of The MONON.” Monon Railroad Historical Society.
2. Simpson III, Richard M. “Abandoning The Monon.” Indiana Transportation History, 3 Jan. 2020.
3. Verderame, Jyoti A. “Monon Trail.” Encyclopedia of Indianapolis, Feb. 2021.
4. “Monon Trail.” City of Westfield, Indiana.
5. “Monon Trail.” City of Indianapolis and Marion County.