Advocacy

Our advocacy efforts consist of the development of multi-use trails, a walkable and bicycle friendly community, complete connectivity and alternative transportation mobility options. It is who we are, and why we continue to be the only trails advocacy organization in Evansville and Vanderburgh County.

Our advocacy initiatives:

  1. Greenway Trails System Network - community awareness, support, and promotion

  2. Connected Trails System Network, trails in every district, bridge the gaps

  3. City Complete Streets Policy/Ordinance adoption - Accomplished October 2021! The Evansville Common (City) Council voted unanimously to adopt G-2021-17. See details HERE.

  4. Safe Routes to Schools

  5. Bicycle Friendly Evansville

  6. Walk Friendly Evansville

  7. Regional Connectivity

Immediate Advocacy effort

I69 ORX Project - Bridge Design Should Include Pedestrian, Bicycle, and ADA Design Accommodations (Accessible Bike, Hike, and Wheelchair), OR save the historical twin bridge for this purpose.

See the latest example of a new bridge with bike/ped/ADA accommodations—click the photo above.

How do pedestrians, bicyclists, and wheelchairs safely cross over the Ohio River from Evansville, Indiana to Henderson, Kentucky?

The federal code,  23 C.F.R. § 652 policy says, "The safe accommodation of pedestrians and bicyclists should be given full consideration during the development of Federal-aid highway projects, and during the construction of such projects. The special needs for the elderly and the handicapped shall be considered in all Federal-aid projects that include pedestrian facilities. Where current or anticipated pedestrian and/or bicycle traffic presents a potential conflict with motor vehicle traffic, every effort shall be made to minimize the detrimental effects on all highway users who share the facility. On highways without full control of access where a bridge deck is being replaced or rehabilitated, and where bicycles are permitted to operate at each end, the bridge shall be reconstructed so that bicycles can be safely accommodated when it can be done at a reasonable cost. Consultation with local groups of organized bicyclists is to be encouraged in the development of bicycle projects."

According to the I69 ORX Project Team, discussions listed on their, “Questions” webpage regarding improving long-term cross-river mobility between Evansville has been considered. At the onset of the I69 Bridge Project, during the development process, letters were sent to Vanderburgh County and the City of Evansville encouraging them to contact Henderson and Henderson County if they wanted to discuss a possible bridge partnership. The City of Henderson and Henderson County were offered the opportunity to assume ownership and responsibility of the bridge for this purpose, but each declined.

One bridge is more than 80 years old and the other is more than 50 years old, and maintenance costs are high. Indiana and Kentucky have spent more than $50 million on maintenance costs on the US 41 bridges since 2005. A report on the US 41 bridges finds it would cost an estimated $293 million to maintain the two bridges through 2062. Bike, hike, and wheelers, along with established National Trails and Bicycle Routes using the twin bridges to cross the Ohio River will be forced to find other means for crossing. There must be a pedestrian, bicycle, and ADA accommodation made within the I69 ORX Design, so that eco-friendly, alternative, active transportation options are available to everyone.

Our local historical experiences with pedestrian hikers and bicyclists traversing the twin Highway 41 Bridges, either commuting to/from Evansville, IN to Henderson, KY, or passing through the region has been been challenging and risky. The Highway 41 Twin Bridges are currently the only Evansville to Henders access for residents and tourists. This connection is critical to supporting businesses, schools, places of employment and to recreation opportunities in both cities in Indiana and Kentucky. There is a proposition to demolish one or both of the US Highway 41 Twin bridges, given the new Interstate 69 ORX bridge being the only connection. 

Click the image to visit the I69 ORX webpage to view the map

Click the image to visit the I69 ORX webpage to view the map

Bicyclists have the legal right to utilize the US Highway 41 twin bridges to cross the Ohio River, but poses a serious risk to the rider. The high volume of automobiles and semi-tractor trailers traveling at high rates of speed is dangerous for bicyclist, lanes are narrow and there is no shoulder.

Legally, non-motorized vehicles and pedestrians are not allowed on Interstates. The I69 ORX would not accommodate pedestrians, hikers, bicyclists, or people who use wheelchairs. Demolishing the Highway 41 Twin Bridges or converting them to Interstate bridges removes the option for alternative, active (nonmotorized) transportation.

Why should we advocate? We should work together to advocate for the pedestrian, bicycle, and wheeler accommodation—doing so is inclusive and the design would consider all modes of transportation, both motorized and non-motorized. This is crucial to our local trails and parks connections, our national trails and bike routes that use the Ohio River Crossing to continue to their destinations—-there are recreation areas in Evansville, IN and in Henderson, KY, such as the John James Audubon State Park and Green River State Forest in Kentucky as well as Wesselman Woods and Burdette Park in Indiana; national trails, such as the coast-to-coast American Discovery Trail route is through Evansville, the proposed north-south US Bike Route 37 will go through Evansville and Henderson, and Kentucky’s proposed Ohio Valley Trail, a proposed 430 mile trail in Kentucky’s Master Trail Plan terminates in Henderson.

Is it safe to ride a bicycle across the Highway 41 bridge—would you feel safe?

One of the US 41 bridges will be removed. The remaining US 41 bridge will not have dedicated pedestrian and bicycle facilities, nor provide a safe option for people, and is deficient in the consideration of all modes of transportation alternatives. There will be no pedestrian and bicycle improvements included in the new plan and the current barriers to safely crossing the Ohio River will continue. No serious contemplation, or account for all other mobility needs were offered to people walking, hiking, cycling, or using wheelchairs, as recommended by various standardized methods provided by the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) and American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). 

Is it reasonable to request pedestrian, hiker, bicycle and wheelchair accommodations within the I69 ORX Design? Yes. Walking, hiking, bicycling and wheeling accommodations have been included within the design of several bridges nationally that cross that not only cross the Ohio River, such as two in the Louisville, KY and Madison, Indiana regions; there are many bridges listed below within Indiana and across the country that have these inclusive, safe accommodations. Safety comes to the forefront as there are no safe pedestrian, bicycle, or wheeler accommodation west of Louisville, only a ferry in Illinois. This requested accommodation is reasonable, and feasible—accommodations such as these encourage economic development and have been proven to have a positive economic impact in similar connecting communities. Conversion of the Big Four Bridge from Jeffersonville to Louisville to a pedestrian, bicycle and wheelchair access only bridge has contributed significantly to the revitalization of downtown Jeffersonville, IN.  It was estimated that rebuilding the Milton-Madison Bridge to include pedestrian, bicycle and wheelchair accommodations will contribute $152.5 million over the 10 years after it was rebuilt (Indiana Trails).

Between Louisville and the Mississippi River there are no safe crossing options for hundreds of miles, save the Cave-in-Rock Ferry. There is no safe option west of Louisville, KY:

  • Glover Cary Bridge, Patronville, IN to Owensboro, KY (not a safe option)

  • William H. Natcher Bridge, Rockport, IN to Maceo, KY (not a safe option)

  • Bob Cummings Lincoln Trail Bridge (Lincoln Toll Road Bridge), Cannelton, IN to Hawesville, KY (not a safe option)

  • Mauckport Bridge, Mauckport, IN (not a safe option)

  • Sherman Minton Bridge, New Albany, IN (not a safe option)

  • Shawneetown Bridge, IL, to Morganfield, KY (not safe option)

  • Irvin S. Cobb Bridge, Brookport, IL to Paducah, KY (not a safe option)

  • A Ferry – located at Cave-in-Rock, IL to Marion, Kentucky (not the best option, convenient, and often delayed, or temporarily closed due to flooding, or fog)

Please see  The FINAL Environment Impact Statement & RECORD OF DECISION (ROD) featured on the I-69 ORX Project website.  See Chapter 4 – Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences.

In behalf of all pedestrians, bicyclists, and wheelchair users, ETC and partner groups such as Indiana Trails, Greenways Foundation of Indiana (and many more) are advocating for safe, separated, and protected accommodations within the I-69 ORX bridge design. This bridge design accommodation is common in metro areas along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers in the Midwest, well within the MPA and MPO areas along the Wabash River in Indiana.

  1. The Interstate-74 Webcam (Quad Cities), which is a perfect example showing real-time construction progress of this beautiful bridge with pedestrian, bicycle, and wheelchair accommodations.  

  2. See the Apr. 17, 2018 letter from the Vanderburgh County Commissioners to the INDOT project managers (Scroll to PAGE 14): CLICK HERE

 

 

examples of Indiana Regional bridges with pedestrian, bicycle, and/or wheelchair accommodations:

  • Lewis and Clark East End Bridge, Louisville, KY. The Lewis and Clark bridge connects the east end of Louisville, near Prospect, to southern Indiana, near Utica. The Kentucky approach to the new bridge extends I-265 (the Gene Snyder Freeway, also known as KY 841), adding a new, four-lane (two northbound, two southbound) 1.4-mile section. The Indiana approach also has a four-lane section that extends SR 265 (the Lee Hamilton Highway) four miles.

  • Big Four Bridge, Louisville, KY Davis Ferry Bridge - Lafayette - Wabash River

  • I-64 Daniel Boone Bridge Bike-Ped Crossing A bicycle and pedestrian trail crossing the Missouri River on the I-64 Daniel Boone Bridge opened Thursday. The path connects the Monarch Levee Trail in St. Louis County to the Katy Trail in St. Charles County. Approximately 500,000+ people experience the Katy trail on an annual basis, serving as the seventh bicycle and pedestrian path crossing the Missouri River.

  • Illinois Rock Island Centennial Bridge, Mississippi River to Davenport Iowa. The new

  • Interstate-74/U.S. 6 Bridge . The I-74 Mississippi River Bridge project is part of an overall plan to improve the I-74 corridor from Moline, Illinois to Davenport, Iowa. Between 2017 and 2021, construction will take place between Avenue of the Cities in Moline and Middle Road in Bettendorf. The bridge features separated pedestrian, bicycle and ADA accommodations. A number of bicycle and pedestrian facilities are included in the project area, including a multi-use path along the I-74 bridge and connections to existing local paths in both Bettendorf and Moline.

  • Eagle Creek Trail Bridge - I-74, Indianapolis, IN

  • Chain of Rocks Bridge, Great River Road 16 - Chain of Rocks Bridge, St. Louis, MO, former Route 66 bridge now open to bikers and pedestrians only.

  • Erie-Lackawanna Trail Bridge, US 41, Hammond, IN

  • 46th Street Bridge over US 31, Carmel/Westfield, IN

  • 146th Street Bridge over White River, Carmel/Fishers/Noblesville, IN

  • Oliver Avenue over White River Historic Bridge. RQAW designed the $3.4 M rehabilitation of the historic arch bridge carrying Oliver Avenue over the White River in downtown Indianapolis. RQAW services also included substantial coordination with the designer of the connected McCarthy Avenue bridge to be replaced as part of the same contract. Construction will take place from 2018-2019.

  • Veterans Memorial Bridge - Fort Wayne - Saint Marys River

  • George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge, Ohio River, Jeffersonville, IN

  • John T. Myers Bridge, Wabash River, Lafayette, IN

  • Lewis and Clark Bridge, Ohio River, Jeffersonville, IN

  • Logan Street Bridge, White River, Noblesville, IN

  • Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Bridge, Saint Marys River, Fort Wayne, IN

  • Milton-Madison Bridge, Ohio River, Madison, IN

  • Monon Trail Bridge over 38th Street, Indianapolis, IN

  • US 150 Bridge, Wabash River, West Terre Haute

  • Sagamore Parkway Bridge, Wabash River, Lafayette, IN

  • Montezuma B&O Walking Bridge, Wabash River, Montezuma, IN

  • Old US 40 Bridge, Wabash River, Indianapolis, IN

  • Potters Covered Bridge, White River, Noblesville, IN

  • Secrest Ferry Bridge, White River, Gosport, IN

  • Strawtown Koteewi Park Bridge, White River, Hamilton County, IN

  • West 10th Street Bridge, White River, Indianapolis, IN

  • West Washington Street Bridge, White River, Indianapolis, IN

  • White River Greenway Bridge, White River, Noblesville, IN

 

National bridges with pedestrian, bicycle, and/or wheelchair accommodations:

  • Newell Toll Bridge, East Liverpool, OH. The Newell Toll Bridge is a privately owned suspension bridge over the Ohio River on the Golding Street Extension between Newell, West Virginia and East Liverpool, Ohio, United States. It carries two lanes of roadway and a pedestrian path along the west side.

  • Gordie Howe International Bridge, Detroit River, between Detroit and the city of Windsor, Ontario. One of the very best examples of accommodation, the Detroit Greenways Coalition, Bike Windsor Essex and other entities have successfully advocated for bicycle/pedestrian/wheelchair accommodations on what is one of the world's most exciting new bridge projects. THE GORDIE HOWE INTERNATIONAL BRIDGE connecting the U.S. and Canada over the Detroit River, is a crucial Great Lakes passage. Along with expansive modernized customs facilities at both ends of the Howe Bridge, this bridge project is one of the major infrastructure builds happening in North America. Inclusion of non-motorized multi-use facilities on this spectacular structure, the approachways and with future connections constitutes a tremendous international win for active transportation in the Midwest and the nation. The bridge is a key to enhanced multinational travel, tourism and community connections. According to Detroit Greenways, bicyclists, pedestrians, wheelers in Canada and the U.S. are anticipating rossing the new bridge, and completion is several years away. In Michigan, they have flipped the border controversy script by saying, "We're building a bridge, and Canada is going to pay for it!" which happens to be true, as Canada is footing the upfront cost and hopes to offset financing with tolls from autos and trucks.

  • Ashley River Bicycle Pedestrian Bridge, Charleston, N.C.

  • St. Croix Crossing, Connecting Oak Park Heights, Minnesota and St. Joseph, Wisconsin

  • Purple People Bridge, Newport, KY

  • George Washington Bridge (I-95, US 1, and US 9), Hudson River, New York

  • Fuller Warren Bridge, St. John’s River, Interstate 95, Jacksonville, Florida 

  • Pensacola Bay Bridge, the multi-use path along the Pensacola Bay Bridge is now open, allowing people to walk, run or cycle between Pensacola and Gulf Breeze, Pensacola, Florida

  • Ravenel Bridge, Cooper River Bridge - Charleston, S.C.

  • Glenn L. Jackson Memorial Bridge/I-205 Bridge is a segmental bridge that spans the Columbia River between Vancouver, Washington, and Portland, Oregon.

  • The Path - Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, Tarrytown, NY, the new bridge is a dedicated bike/pedestrian path, which will provide new access for non-motorized commuters across the Hudson River while also offering an exciting recreational opportunity in Rockland and Westchester counties. Cyclists and pedestrians enjoy a 12-foot wide path located on the northern side of the westbound span of the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. Separated from traffic by a concrete barrier, the path will also feature six scenic overlooks across the length of the 3.1-mile crossing.

 

SEE THE VIDEO UPDATE BELOW OF THE GORDIE HOWE INTL. BRIDGE, DETROIT, U.S.-CANADA:

Bridges Worth Mentioning from Around the World

  • Infinity Bridge, pedestrian footbridge across the River Tees in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees in the north east of England.

  • Rio Antirio Bridge, (Charilaos Trikoupis), Patras, Greece; the longest cable bridge in Europe.

  • Forth Road Bridge, (Scotland), a Public Transport Corridor, which continues to be the route for walking and cycling across the Firth of Forth.

 
Photo Credit: Pensacola Three Mile Walking Bridge Click to visit the Pensacola Three Mile Walking Bridge webpage.

Photo Credit: Pensacola Three Mile Walking Bridge
Click to visit the Pensacola Three Mile Walking Bridge webpage.

 

lewis and Clark East End Bridge Crossing, Louisville, Kentucky Video

“This drone video is from construction five years ago, but you clearly see, starting at the 3:10 mark, the attached safe and protected multi-use bike/ped/wheelchair pathway on the downstream, west side of the Ohio River Bridge taking shape (this bridge is now complete).  If you follow the pathway North West on the Indiana side, you will see part of a connecting trail leading to the Indiana trailhead.  A connection is being developed into the North East side of the bridge from a large, new park and office, commerce complex. Riverside pathways on both sides of the river are yet to reach the bridge, but on the Indiana side, there is a marked bike route on a number of the streets west of the bridge in the Utica area--now a hot spot for new home construction.” ~Gary M. Davis, Indiana Trails