The City of Fishers is embarking on a 21-year journey to design and construct the Nickel Plate Trail along what was once the Nickel Plate rail line. Months of work, with input by more than 1,500 local citizens, culminated into the Master Plan unveiled Monday night at Launch Fishers.
Over 200 people crammed into the largest meeting room at Launch Fishers, many were HSE students involved in the planning and their families. The City of Fishers says more than $250 million in private investment has been announced along the trail, from Hub & Spoke to First Internet Bank.
Fishers City Councilman John Weingardt and Amanda Welu of DELV Design co-chaired the large group involved in sifting through the many ideas submitted for the trail.
“We’ve spoken to hundreds of community members about their vision for this new kind of trail and the result – a dynamic trail experience not found anywhere in the U.S.,” said co-chair Amanda Welu. “As a resident of Fishers, it’s been an incredible process to work alongside colleagues and neighbors to bring this vision to fruition; it will be a unique destination for all.”
The Trail will feature five segments of uses:
- 96th Street to 106th Street: Makers Space and Innovation Zone
- 106th Street through Cheeney Creek: Nature Park Zone
- Just south of 116th Street through 126th Street: Downtown Active Core Zone
- 126th Street to 131st Street: Wellness Zone
- 131st Street to 146th Street: Park and Education Zone
The first trail segment has been financed through a bond issue authorized by the city council as part of the 2019 city budget. That goes from 106th Street to 126th Street.
It was emphasized that this is the master planning stage and the design phase for the trail would come later.
You can access the entire master plan presentation at this link.
