FORT WAYNE — Representatives of Indiana, Allen County and Fort Wayne government joined Mayor Sharon Tucker on Aug. 5 to mark the groundbreaking for the new section of Pufferbelly Trail.
Tucker was joined by representatives of Gov. Eric Holcomb, Fort Wayne Trails, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, residents and business owners, as well as staff from the city’s Public Works Division, to mark the beginning of construction of the Pufferbelly Trail from Ice Way to Washington Center Road, an investment worth over $3 million.
“This is the last segment of the Pufferbelly Trail inside the city of Fort Wayne limits,” said Dawn Ritchie, greenways and trails manager for the city.
This 1.7-mile phase of the Pufferbelly Trail will be a 12-foot wide asphalt trail and will provide connectivity to nearly 700 businesses, retail areas, restaurants and entertainment, including Glenbrook Square, Glenbrook Commons, SportONE Parkview Fieldhouse and SportONE Parkview Icehouse.
It will start at the Cookie Cottage, 620 W. Washington Center Road, and head south on the road, following the former New York Central Railroad Corridor. Ritchie held a gold-painted railroad spike that represents the name of this final segment of the trail project, the Golden Spike, a reference to the 1869 symbol used for the completion of the world’s first transcontinental railroad.
Steam engines
Pufferbelly refers to steam engines built in the early 1800s.
Ritchie said of the final trail segment “this is the most important trail that we’ve ever built here in Fort Wayne.”
The groundbreaking announcement was held inside the mayor’s office due to rain, but originally was planned for the rear of the PNC Bank branch at 445 Coliseum Blvd W. That’s where a trail hub rest area will be built.
Brian and Kyla Zehr are donating to the trail hub. “I would estimate that over the last 10, 20 years Kyla and I and our family have spent hundreds, if not thousands, of hours on these trails and it’s provided me a safe place to bike. Otherwise, I’d be out on the roads, dodging traffic,” Brian Zehr said.
Kyla Zehr said in addition to creating memories with family and friends on the trails, “I think what I really appreciate about the trails ... is the connectivity. I see so many different ages and races and people of varying physical abilities on the trails, and it just makes me feel a part of the community, I think.”
The trails also provide a way for those who are economically disadvantaged to get to work or connect with friends, she said.
The project also includes a pavilion, a new intersection and mid-block crossing signalization, a bike repair station, park benches and picnic tables, drinking water fountains and landscaping.
The trail is designed to be accessible for all abilities, meeting Americans with Disabilities and Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines requirements. Driveway crossings will have a transition and ADA curb ramps will be installed at street crossings. Accessible Pedestrian Signals will be installed at all signalized intersections. Concrete pads for the park benches will be constructed large enough for a wheelchair to be placed next to the park bench.
The city of Fort Wayne received a nearly $2.7 million Next Level Trails grant from the State of Indiana for this project. The city’s nonprofit partner, Fort Wayne Trails, will be contributing $300,000 in donor funds.
This section of the trail is expected to be completed in October 2025.
Foundation’s gift
Two weeks ago the mayor announced as part of the trail project the Vann Family Crossing, which will be a bridge that crosses Coliseum Boulevard/S.R 930, on the west side of Bob Thomas Ford (north side) and Mission BBQ (south side). The Vann Family Foundation provided a $5 million gift to assist in the funding of the future bridge. The bridge will provide a safe and aesthetic crossing of one of the busiest roads in Fort Wayne and northeast Indiana. The daily traffic count is 37,575 vehicles per day. The Vann Family Crossing is expected to be constructed in 2026, pending all necessary approvals.
The owner of Bob Thomas Ford has made comments in the media about his concerns of potential vandalism to his vehicle lot from people using the bridge. Business Weekly left a message for Bob Thomas for comment.
Ritchie said she has been talking to Thomas about the project since 2019. “He does have some concerns,” she said. “We are addressing those concerns.”
Those include having lighting on the bridge. His desire for fencing isn’t necessary because the ramp leading up to the bridge will have handrails that will prevent users from getting off the ramp and going into his property. The city has to acquire right-of-way from him on the west side of his parking lot for the trail and bridge. The city will get two appraisals and make an offer to him. He then could accept or negotiate a price. “The every last resort would eminent domain,” Ritchie said.
“Once this trail and the bridge are completed we will connect 130 of existing trail,” Ritchie said.
The Pufferbelly Trail is one segment of the 81-mile Poka-Bache Connector trail from Pokagon State Park in Angola to Ouabache State Park in Bluffton, which is 60% complete/funded.
Kent Castleman, executive director of Fort Wayne Trails, said residents living on the north side of Coliseum want to commute to downtown Fort Wayne for work. “And there’s just not an easy convenient way for them to do it. So I know this is also going to help with people who want to be daily commuters to work using their bikes or running or walking or whatever they might do. But that connectivity is exactly what we’ve been striving over the decades through citizens being involved.”
Quality of life
Tucker said it is an example of the quality-of-life projects that Fort Wayne is working on. “Being able to provide an outdoor experience, making sure that we are creating great health opportunities and making sure that we are creating our connectivity from the beginning to the end helps make our area stand out way farther than our competing communities around us.”
To the south of the 1.7-mile extension to the Pufferbelly Trail, the city will get new connections to the 26-mile Rivergreenway, Dan Bortner, DNR director, said.
In 2018 the governor had a vision for connections within and across communities that turned into Next Level Trails, “which has been the largest investment in trails in Indiana state history,” Bortner said.
The state has funded $180 million in four rounds to 89 trail projects across the state; 34 of the projects are completed providing 100 miles of new trails, he said.
Mike Marturello is the executive editor of KPC Media Group.
