Dig this: Fishers plans tunnel under 116th for Nickel Plate Trail

John Tuohy | IndyStar

Show Caption Hide Caption Fishers: What you need to know, in 35 seconds What you need to know about life, government and business in Fishers, Ind. John Tuohy/Indystar

Even before announcing plans last year to build a greenway on the Nickel Plate railroad tracks, Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness acknowledged 116th Street could be a dangerous crossing because of the road's heavy traffic.

If red lights for cars were lengthened to allow bikers and joggers to cross, rush-hour stop-and-go traffic would snarl even more. If trail users had to wait too long while cars had long green lights, they might try to cross against traffic or be deterred from the greenway altogether.

Now, the city has apparently settled on a solution: a tunnel. But that might be an expensive addition to the millions in local tax dollars Fishers intends to put toward the project.

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In seeking a master planner for the trail, the city says in solicitation documents the blueprint should include an underground passage at 116th Street in the heart of downtown. Trail planners said they determined quickly it was the only way to accommodate vehicles and people at the intersection.

"We just didn't see a way of handling that crossing without a bridge or tunnel," City Councilman John Weingardt, co-chairman of the Nickel Plate Trail Committee, said. "It is a very busy street, and I know I don't want trail users trying to cross there."

Though officials could not estimate what the tunnel at 116th would cost, it is expected to be much more than a street-level crossing but less than a bridge. In addition, bridges or tunnels might be needed at some of the other 11 crossings in Fishers, which include Hague Road, 106th Street and 131st Street, driving up the estimated $9.3 million cost of the entire trail even more.

"Those crossings will be determined on a case-by-case basis by engineers," Ashley Elrod, a city spokeswoman, said.

In 2007, Carmel built a tunnel for the Monon Trail as part of a project that included widening 116th Street. The cost of the entire project was $9 million, but city spokesman Dan McFeely did not know the cost of the tunnel, itself.

The next year, the city built a bridge along the Monon over West Carmel Drive that cost $3 million.

Fishers, Noblesville and Hamilton County announced in 2017 that they would pull the rails from the Nickel Plate corridor and replace them with a 9-mile trail through Fishers and Noblesville. But the original cost estimate -- to be split between the cities -- assumed all crossings would be street-level, Elrod said.

Despite the cost of a tunnel, officials said it is cheaper -- and more practical -- than a bridge at 116th because no surrounding land needs to be bought.

"A bridge wouldn't work there, given the space limits," Weingardt said. "The pitch of a bridge would be so steep it would not be accessible for the disabled."

The Fishers document pointing to a tunnel at 116th, called a request for proposals (RFP), went out earlier this month, and nine companies sent in bids. The city narrowed the applicants to four finalists, and the contract to draw up the plan will be awarded Aug. 17. The cost of the master plan will be negotiated. Construction of the trail could begin in 2019 or 2020. Fishers is paying the full cost of its part of the trail, which will be funded as the city builds it.

The bid documents said the trail should feature “experiential amenities” that “harken the city’s past while embracing its future.” The features could include exercise stations, resting areas, water fountains, bathrooms, bike shares, bike racks, Wi-Fi access, water features, children’s play areas, skate parks, dog parks and art installations.

The trail in Fishers will be built in three segments, and the architectural features should reflect its surroundings, according to the RFP. The segments are: 96th to 106th Street; 106th Street to 126th Street; and 126th Street to 146th Street.

Noblesville hasn't begun planning its portion of the Nickel Plate, city spokesman Robert Herrington said.

Call IndyStar reporter John Tuohy at 317-444-6418. Follow on Twitter and Facebook.