On Thursday, Sept. 9th, Mayor Graham Richard joined First Lady Maggie Kernan to announce that the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has awarded the City $496,000 in enhancement funds for sidewalk improvements in the downtown area.
The money will be used to launch the Fort Wayne Urban Trails Project, which will include improvements to public street spaces in downtown to make them more pedestrian friendly. The first phase of the project will connect the existing St. Marys Rivergreenway at Headwaters Park, with downtown via Barr and Calhoun streets.
These improvements will enhance the walks between the Greenway, Grand Wayne Center, Allen County Public Library and the Fort Wayne Museum of Art. Residents and visitors will be encouraged to walk rather than drive between points of interest downtown, and a consistent aesthetic theme will be developed for downtown. Walking routes will also create incentives for shops, restaurants and other businesses to locate along the new paths.
?We are building a better city by providing more opportunities for pedestrians,? said Mayor Richard. ?We are working to provide a great quality of life for our residents. The efforts being made will help us retain and gain jobs as we expand business opportunities and attract tourists downtown.?
Mayor Richard has committed $2.5 million of a $10 million capital improvement bond to downtown infrastructure upgrades. The total cost of the Urban Trails Project is $638,600. The City will fund the remaining $142,600.
The Fort Wayne Urban Trails Project is part of the recently completed Downtown Fort Wayne Action Plan ?Blueprint for the Future.?
Posted by Admin at September 13, 2004 03:10 PM