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Written by Staff Reports
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Monday, 26 July 2010 03:56 |
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FORT WAYNE — Work on the Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge over the St. Mary’s River in downtown Fort Wayne will shift to the right side of the bridge starting Monday, the Indiana Department of Transportation said in a news release.
NIPSCO has completed its utility relocation and will lift the closure of the left lane of Clinton Street and also reopen Fourth Street in front of Lawton Park, according to the release.
On July 29, INDOT will close the right lane from just south of Elizabeth Street to the south side of the bridge. This also will include the closure of Fourth Street, west of Clinton Street. A detour for 4th Street will be marked.
While INDOT’s portion of the bridge project centers on functionality, the city of Fort Wayne is funding a portion of the project to make the structure a signature gateway. While the bridge is rarely referred to as the MLK Jr. Bridge, the memorials to Martin Luther King Jr. will remind the public of the bridge’s actual name.
The $7.5 million project replaces the bridge and adds features to the gateway into Fort Wayne’s downtown, including a new pedestrian trail on both sides to connect Headwaters Park to Lawton Park, an arched steel truss-style façade, ornamental lighting plus prominent memorials to Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy. The project is expected to be complete in 2011.
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