Testing Delays Opening of Fort Wayne Campus Bridge
(Rendering courtesy of Ivy Tech Community College.)
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA high-profile pedestrian bridge in Fort Wayne will need more testing before it can open. Parker Cole Crossing, which connects the Purdue University Fort Wayne and Ivy Tech Community College Fort Wayne campuses over Coliseum Boulevard, is a $4.5 million project paid for mostly by the Indiana Department of Transportation. One-fifth of the work is covered by the bridge’s namesakes, the Olive B. Cole Foundation and Mac and Pat Parker.
INDOT Fort Wayne District Director Jason Spreen says "INDOT’s goal on every project is to improve the safety and mobility of the traveling public. We take our commitment to those goals seriously and will continue to work diligently on this project to provide safe access for college students and local community residents crossing Coliseum Boulevard/ SR 930 between the campuses of Purdue Fort Wayne and Ivy Tech."
The additional testing, the school and the department say, will "ensure the new bridge fulfills design and construction standards." A final completion date has not yet been determined. Previous estimates had the bridge opening in June. A groundbreaking ceremony was held in April of last year.