Pleasant Run Trail
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The Pleasant Run Greenway, also known as the Pleasant Run Trail, is a
shared-use path A shared-use path, mixed-use path or multi-use pathway is a path which is 'designed to accommodate the movement of pedestrians and cyclists'. Examples of shared-use paths include sidewalks designated as shared-use, bridleways and rail trails. A ...
in
Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
, Indiana. It runs for from
Ellenberger Park The neighborhood of Irvington, named after Washington Irving, includes Irvington Historic District, a historic district in Indianapolis, Indiana. The historic district is a area that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 198 ...
, through Christian Park, to Garfield Park. It follows the general course of Pleasant Run Creek as it flows to the south and west. Most of the greenway is located within the parkway on one side or the other of the creek; the parkway itself is part of the historic
Indianapolis Park and Boulevard System The Indianapolis Park and Boulevard System is a group of parks, parkways, and boulevards in Indianapolis, Indiana, that was designed by landscape architect George Edward Kessler in the early part of the twentieth century. Also known as the Kessler ...
. In several places, the greenway is routed on sidewalks of city streets due to existing structures and facilities that make the parkway itself discontinuous.


Construction

In 1994, the Indianapolis Department of Parks and Recreation presented the ''Indianapolis Greenways Plan'' to establish a system of linear parks consisting of 14 corridors; one of those was Pleasant Run. Construction of the greenway began in 1997 and was officially opened in August 1998. Much of the greenway lies within the existing Pleasant Run Parkway; the parkway itself had been constructed in the 1920s as part of the
Indianapolis Park and Boulevard System The Indianapolis Park and Boulevard System is a group of parks, parkways, and boulevards in Indianapolis, Indiana, that was designed by landscape architect George Edward Kessler in the early part of the twentieth century. Also known as the Kessler ...
. Most of the greenway is asphalt and is wide. Exceptions are in Ellenberger Park, where crushed limestone is used, and those places where the path uses existing sidewalks along streets. Every quarter-mile is marked; the first marker in Ellenberger Park is mile 2 because of plans to extend the trail further east.


Route

The Pleasant Run Greenway starts in the southwest corner of Ellenberger Park in Irvington and follows the north bank of the creek west and south to the
Kin Hubbard Frank McKinney Hubbard (September 1, 1868 – December 26, 1930), better known as Kin Hubbard, was an American cartoonist, humorist, and journalist. His most famous work was for " Abe Martin". Introduced in ''The Indianapolis News'' in December 1 ...
Memorial, a small park bounded by Emerson Avenue, New York Street, and Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive. From there the trail heads south along Emerson over the creek to Washington Street. It follows Washington Street west back across the creek and again runs along the north bank for a short distance until it turns south across Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive. A pathway to
Thomas Carr Howe Community High School Thomas Carr Howe Community High School was a secondary school in Indianapolis that served grades 7–12. It was operated by Charter Schools USA. IPS Indianapolis Public Schools has plans to reopen Howe as a middle school in the 2024-25 school year ...
connects at that point. The greenway continues along the north bank until both it and the parkway cross the creek under the
CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...
(formerly
Baltimore and Ohio The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...
) railroad bridge. At Brookville Road, the trail again crosses from the south bank to the north bank and passes through Christian Park, connecting with several paths within the park. At the intersection of English and Avon avenues, the Pleasant Run Greenway diverges from the creek and is routed along sidewalks on English Avenue to Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive. The greenway continues west between the parkway and the creek to Keystone Avenue, at which point it is again routed on sidewalks south on Keystone and east on Prospect Street until it again meets the creek. There are signs marking the trail in those locations where it uses city sidewalks. From Prospect Street, the greenway runs along the north bank of Pleasant Run, passing by Orange Park. Near Spruce Street, a pedestrian bridge takes the trail to the south bank, where it continues in a westward direction under the
Interstate 65 Interstate 65 (I-65) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates ending in 5, it is a major crosscountry, north–south route, connecting between the Great Lakes and the Gulf ...
bridge. At Shelby Street, the greenway intersects with a
cycle track A cycle track, separated bike lane or protected bike lane (sometimes historically referred to as a sidepath) is an exclusive bikeway that has elements of a separated path and on-road bike lane. A cycle track is located within or next to the ro ...
that connects with the Indianapolis Cultural Trail to the north. West of Shelby Street, the greenway turns south with the creek, passing through the southeast corner of the Bates-Hendricks neighborhood. South of Beecher Street, it travels under the Indianapolis Belt Railroad tracks and enters the north edge of Garfield Park, passing on a boardwalk under the Raymond Street bridge. The greenway ends at Pagoda Drive in the park, but several paths within the park connect with it.


Future plans

In 2021, the city began design work to extend the trail west from Garfield Park along the creek to Bluff Road, with an extension on Bluff Road north to Raymond Street and south to Troy Avenue. The new segments allow a future connection to the Wapahani Trail along the White River. Construction is scheduled to start in Spring 2023 and finish in late Fall 2023 and will cost $4 million. In the same time period, a $5 million project will rehabilitate and improve the existing segments of the trail between Garfield Park and Prospect Avenue and between English Avenue and Ritter Avenue. An extension south and east from Ellenberger Park toward Arlington Avenue and the Pennsy Trail is in the city's long range plans. A connector running north along the west side of Shelby Street to
Fountain Square A fountain square is a park or plaza in a city that features a fountain. It may stand alone or as part of a larger public park. In the United States, there are numerous fountain squares, many of which are actually called "fountain square." Ther ...
and the Indianapolis Cultural Trail was completed in 2011.


See also

*
List of parks in Indianapolis This list of parks in Indianapolis provides a general overview of parkland in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Parks in the city are managed primarily by the City of Indianapolis Department of Parks and Recreation, also known as Indy Parks ...
*
Transportation in Indianapolis Transportation in Indianapolis consists of a complex network that includes a local public bus system, several private intercity bus providers, Amtrak passenger rail service, four freight rail lines, an Interstate Highway System, two airports, a he ...


References


External links


Official Site
{{Parks in Indianapolis Transportation in Indianapolis Tourist attractions in Indianapolis Protected areas of Marion County, Indiana 1997 establishments in Indiana National Recreation Trails in Indiana