INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Cultural Trail has expanded walking and biking paths throughout the Circle City since it opened a decade ago. Its newest connection is now open.
The Cultural Trail cut the ribbon on a half-mile path alongside South Street on Tuesday. The new section on South Street directly connects Lucas Oil Stadium and the Indiana Convention Center to the Fletcher Place and Fountain Square neighborhoods.
"If you build a beautiful and safe place for people to come and experience their city, they will come out and do it," said Indianapolis Cultural Trail executive director Kären Haley.
It is the second expansion of the Cultural Trail to open this year, joining a path alongside Indiana Avenue which opened this summer.
Shortly after the groundbreaking, Jackson Reed explored the new Cultural Trail section with his rollerblades.
"I'm usually on my rollerblades about three to four times a week," Reed said. "The Cultural Trail is actually one of the reasons why I live where I live."
The Cultural Trail will soon grow again.
City and state leaders broke ground on an expansion of White River State Park an hour after the South Street Cultural Trail section opened, which will include a new bridge over the White River carrying the Cultural Trail.
"People want this," Haley said. "It is a changing time where people want to be out of their automobiles and want to have a face-to-face experience when they're walking somewhere."
"It's great to see that people in the city actually care about people getting out and going places, especially without a car," Reed said. "When I'm out of my car, it feels like I actually get to meet people and see people along the way. It helps me build a community instead of being in my little box."
