INDIANAPOLIS -- A recently completed gateway and trailhead connecting Indy’s Near Eastside to Downtown was formally dedicated Wednesday.
For the past decade the East 10th Street Civic Association has been working to redevelop the once struggling neighborhood, and transforming a dilapidated underpass into a vibrant gateway has been a key part of that process.
The new connector is named for Brian Payne, president and CEO of the Central Indiana Community Foundation. The foundation has invested heavily in the neighborhood.
Tammi Hughes, executive director of East 10th Street Civic Association, points out that the $3 million gateway transformation has been a true collaboration.
"We were able to pull in more than 25 partners that all brought a different skill set, funding, in kind services to the table including a site at the Lilly Day of Service," said Hughes.
The gateway now features public art, a greenspace and expanded sidewalks. It’s also the site of a new trailhead connecting The Cultural Trail, Monon Trail and Pogue’s Run, which is currently under construction.
"That will run through the Near Eastside connecting a number of public parks and spaces as well as neighborhood," said Hughes.
The dedication ceremony also featured a tour of other projects in the neighborhood like the Circle City Industrial Complex rehab as a space for makers and artists, new affordable housing and the restoration of Fletcher Park.
