NOBLESVILLE, Ind.– A historic bridge in Noblesville will be removed as part of the city’s plan to improve connectivity for residents.
“Last fall, we broke ground on a $98 million new east-to-west corridor in the city of Noblesville,” said Mayor Chris Jensen. “It’s a new bridge over the White River. Also a free flow in corridor, to really relieved traffic in our downtown.”
The historic Midland Bridge is being removed as part of the city’s plan to improve connectivity and mobility throughout downtown Noblesville.
“The new bridge will include an actual roadway bridge with the Midland Trace Trail connected to it,” Jensen said.
The old bridge– which carried Midland Railway over the white river in the 1800s– will be preserved by a team at Conner Prairie.
“The bridge will be disassembled, so it can be transported and moved to Conner Prairie where we will receive it, and it will be placed there,” said Ken Alexander, who is overseeing the project with Conner Prairie.
The complex project is funded through the county and a $15 million grant from the state.
“We should be done by the end of 2024,” Jensen said. “There are two more phases in the goal is to have all of that under construction and complete with construction by the end of 2025.”
The new bridge will improve the traffic flow and appearance of the White River.
“We have focused heavily on aesthetics in this project,” Jensen said. “It runs through some residential areas in our community so it will be a low-speed corridor. It will have some pocket parks and have a lot of artwork with the bridge.”
Project leaders say it’s an important step in advancing Hamilton County’s future while acknowledging its past.
“It’s very important to preserve these things so that our future generations can come back and see the things that were done previously and look back on what we are doing to help improve our communities as well,” Alexander said.
Plans for the destination of the refurbished, reassembled bridge are still being developed. We’ll update you when those plans are announced.
