Fall Creek Place Neighborhood Trail

Indianapolis, Indiana

 

The planning and design challenge for the Fall Creek Place Trail involved blending historic guidelines with current standards for municipal greenway trails. The original historic Fall Creek Trail was designed by renowned landscape architect George Kessler. Kevin K. Parsons & Associates reconstructed the Fall Creek Place trail based on the original footprint of the Kessler Trail through research and field study.

 

Similar to the original Kessler trail, a set of concrete steps were built in line with Talbot Street for direct neighborhood access. Over 1200 lineal feet of recycled limestone curbing, salvaged from the Fall Creek Place Neighborhood project, were included into the design as a trail curb edge. Native species of trees, shrubs and perennials were selected for the plantings. A new concrete surface trail and a timber boardwalk were designed to current ADA accessibility standards. The boardwalk, located within the floodway under the Delaware Street Bridge, was constructed to eliminate the need for an at grade crosswalk.

 

In addition, the close proximity of the boardwalk to Fall Creek offers an intimate creek side experience. Since construction, the boardwalk has been able to withstand several major floods, including two over the 100 year flood mark. A modular concrete unit retaining wall system was also incorporated along some of the steeper banks for stability and safety. The Fall Creek Place Trail not only serves as a community linear park, but it is also an important segment of the citywide greenway system. This project utilized ‘smart growth’, ‘green’, and sustainable design practices.