The RiverWalk connects the Monon Trail to Broad Ripple Park
RIVERWALK: FROM DREAM TO REALITY
The RiverWalk trail has been a collective dream for more than 30 years stemming from the belief that beautiful and pedestrian-friendly spaces create healthier, happier, and more equitable communities.
Whenever the public has been given the opportunity to participate in planning processes, they have called for the creation of a missing link to connect multiple neighborhoods, signature parks, and cultural landmarks to each other and to Indianapolis as a whole.
To reflect the community’s aspirations, the Village’s plan of record adopted in 2012, Envision Broad Ripple, called for an “off-street bike and pedestrian trail” to connect Broad Ripple Park with Broad Ripple Village and the Monon Trail.
In 2017, a group of Broad Ripple business leaders convened the Broad Ripple RiverWalk Task Force to continue the community conversation and generate enthusiasm for the project. Working in partnership with the Broad Ripple Village Association, the team submitted a successful proposal to the City of Indianapolis Department of Public Works for a Neighborhood Infrastructure Grant. This innovative funding mechanism provides half of the funding for the $1.1 million project.
Since BRVA was awarded the DPW grant in 2018, volunteer supporters have worked with community members, foundations, and businesses to generate the necessary matching funds that will fully fund the RiverWalk’s construction.
Thanks to the generosity of the community, we reached our funding goal for the initial construction of the RiverWalk, and construction begins in 2023!
But wait, there’s more!
Although we raised funds for the initial construction costs, the are still many amenities that community members desire. Landscaping, lighting, seating, and scenic overlooks will have to be funded through other means. We continue to fundraise for maintenance and amenities. BRVA has agreed to set up a maintenance endowment to keep the RiverWalk clean, beautiful, and safe to ensure that the trail remains a well-kept community asset for years to come. Please join your neighbors and fellow Broad Ripple advocates and contribute as much as you can. Your Village will thank you for it.
FUNDING
CONGRATS! We met the first fundraising goal!
Thanks to your support, we raised over $550,000 to construct the RiverWalk!
Originally a $1.5 million project, of which the BRVA and RiverWalk Task Force are responsible for half, DPW has combined the construction of RiverWalk with the Broad Ripple Avenue redesign, reducing needed funds to approximately $1.1 million for RiverWalk. Of that, we are responsible for raising half of the funds
NEXT STEPS
Now that we have funded the trail’s construction, we will continue our fundraising efforts so that we can install ten large permanent lights along the trail, which will extend its hours of use and increase safety, install seating and other amenities, and create a maintenance fund to ensure that the trail remains a well-kept community asset for years to come.
RIVERWALK TRAIL FEATURES
The RiverWalk trail will be a 12’ wide paved trail suitable for biking and walking. It will have a protected greenspace buffer between the trail and the street. The trail will offer scenic views of the White River and provide a safe way to travel between Broad Ripple Park and the Monon Trail.
After the trail’s initial construction, we will install large permanent lights along the trail, similar to the light fixtures that we installed previously along the canal and the Monon. We are working to develop a small pocket park where Weaver’s Landscaping once existed along the River. We will also install seating and other amenities to allow for additional areas to rest and enjoy the trail, the White River, and Broad Ripple Village.
PROJECT TIMELINE
- Late fall 2021 – The RiverWalk project goes out to bid through DPW (COMPLETED!)
- 2023 – Construction will begin
- Late 2023 (depending on weather and construction) – Completion of trail construction
- Post-trail construction – Installation of lighting, seating, and other amenities
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Now that we have the initial construction funded, we will need an additional $200,000 for lighting, amenities, and a maintenance fund. All donations help us reach our goal, whether that’s $1,000 or $10.
Donors at $1,000 and above will be recognized with their name along the RiverWalk. Donors at $5,000 and above will be recognized on a plaque or decorative stone along the trail, to be installed after the initial trail’s construction.
The Broad Ripple Village Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and all donations are tax deductible.
Checks can be mailed to:
Broad Ripple Village Association
Attn: RiverWalk
818 Broad Ripple Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46220
THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS
VISIONARIES (Donations of $100,000 and above)
- Avenue Development
- Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF)
- Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust
- Zinkan Barker ($102,000 credited toward DPW)
INVESTORS ($40,000 and above)
- Keystone Group and Ersal Ozdemir
PATRONS ($20,000 and above)
- Kent and Carolyn Agness Charitable Fund
- Bruce and Julie Buchanan
- Eight Eleven Group
- J C Hart Company, Inc.
- Brad and Theresa Warnecke
BENEFACTORS ($5,000 and above)
- Donald C. Arbogast, Jr. and Terri Gill
- Demerly Architects
- The Forest Fund Inc.
- Debbie and Chuck Hasbrook
- MIBOR REALTOR Association
- David and Nonie Vonnegut-Gabovitch
ALLIES ($1000 and Above)
- David and Karen Amstutz
- Apple Press Inc.
- CIBA Foundation
- Dr. Eve Earley
- Barry Foster
- Friends of Broad Ripple Park
- Friends of the White River
- Emily Glanders
- Jim and Cynthia Hunter
- Mark Hursh
- Indianapolis Ambassadors Inc.
- Kathryn Kilbride
- Tibor Klopfer and Shawna Frazer-Klopfer
- Mark Luers and Kent Springer
- Marigold Clothing
- Elizabeth and Kevin Marshall
- Maria Mercedes Plant
- Judith Murphy
- Rich Richey Family
- Dan Ripley
- Douglas and Diana Scheid
- Kelly Schwedland
- Kathryn Shorter
- Deborah and Eric Stoll
- Mitchell Strukel
- Tinder Lock & Security
- Chris and Andrea Welsh
- Michael Welling
- Barbara Wilder
- Wormser Legal
- Eva Yount
The Broad Ripple RiverWalk will provide physical connectivity between Broad Ripple Park, the White River and a variety of cultural landmarks, art institutions and neighborhoods. This will allow more visitors to easily experience and enjoy all of these amenities, while at the same time serving as a catalyst for new and exciting cultural projects and programs for everyone in the Indianapolis community.
As the White River has gotten cleaned up, and become much more of a community asset, there’s a greater emphasis on incorporating the river and river views into our community. Creating the RiverWalk that goes along the river will go a long way in making that happen here in Broad Ripple. We also recognize the economic impact of adding trails to a community, so it will benefit Broad Ripple in that way as well.
This project will create a safe connection between a busy city park, a thriving Cultural District, and one of the state’s most popular bike/ped trails. Parents and grandparents will feel safe traveling between these community spaces with youngsters and pets, and visitors of all ages will enjoy scenic views of Central Indiana’s defining environmental feature, White River.
