The city has designated the bridge connecting downtown with a new business district across the White River as the “Greenlawn Memorial Bridge,” paying homage to the former city cemetery excavated to make way for construction.
The Indianapolis Board of Public Works approved the new name July 22 to honor Greenlawn Cemetery, the city’s first public burial ground that held the remains of the city’s earliest pioneers, including African American residents. Founded in 1821, the site grew to include more than 25 acres and operated until 1890, when the city banned new burials there.
Previously called the Henry Street Bridge project, the new roadway and an expansion of the Indianapolis Cultural Trail will connect the new Elanco pharmaceutical campus with roads near Lucas Oil Stadium. The trademark rings encircling the bridge are now visible, with construction expected to finish by early 2027, the city said in a Wednesday press release.
That’s about a year later than the March 2026 opening date shared when the $21.2 million project was announced three years ago. The work was complicated by the discovery of human remains at the site in 2024.
To build the bridge, the city hired an archaeology firm to excavate more than 1,700 grave shafts within the right-of way, unearthing 19th century artifacts like necklaces, brooches and dolls. The year-long project wrapped up in October 2025. The city is still working on plans to reinter the individuals who were removed.
Members of a community advisory group formed to study the site’s history chose the bridge’s new name. While some prominent residents were relocated to Crown Hill Cemetery or elsewhere, the group has been researching the lives of the lower-class individuals who remained at Greenlawn.
“We remain determined to uncover the stories of Indianapolis’ least prominent early citizens,” Leon Bates, a pan-Africanist scholar and community advisory group member, said in a statement. “This naming acknowledges the connection to our city’s pioneers, including the presence and contributions of many early African American residents.”
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Email Indianapolis City Hall Reporter Jordan Smith at JTSmith@indystar.com. Follow him on X @jordantsmith09 and Bluesky @jordanaccidentally.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indy’s new ‘Greenlawn Memorial Bridge’ honors city’s earliest pioneers
Reporting by Jordan Smith, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jordan Smith, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
