What opens, and when
Indianapolis is building a bridge over the White River between Washington Street and Oliver Street. The Board of Public Works approved the Greenlawn Memorial Bridge name, and the city announced the designation on 22 July 2026. The deck carries two vehicular lanes, one in each direction, plus the Indianapolis Cultural Trail's multi-use path. WISH-TV reports an opening in early 2027.
The city states the purpose on its project pages. The crossing adds vehicular and pedestrian capacity between the west bank and downtown, and it takes pressure off Oliver Avenue and Washington Street as the district builds out.
The published phases
Indy DPW substantially completed the west-side street package. It rebuilt the D Loop from Washington Street to South White River Parkway, relocated South White River Parkway to meet the D Loop and Oliver Street at Drover Street, extended Innovator Way from Harding Street to the relocated parkway, and connected Holly Avenue between Oliver Street and the new Innovator Way.
The city contracted Stantec in June 2024 for archaeology inside the right of way. Monitoring and excavation began in 2024 and closed in October 2025. Archaeologists excavated 1,709 grave shafts inside the right of way between November 2024 and October 2025, per WISH-TV, and the remains went to an Indiana University Indianapolis laboratory. The reburial plan is still in draft.
Who pays for what
The city pays for the archaeology inside the Henry Street right of way, the bridge and the roadway approaches. The Indiana Economic Development Corporation pays for the district's other roadway improvements, or shares the cost. The west-side street package carries both funders.
What the opening date does for a booking calendar
The city's project pages publish no room count for the west bank. The inventory that will serve the crossing sits at the convention end of downtown. Visit Indy counts 12 hotels and 5,200 rooms in its connected package and more than 10,000 rooms within walking distance of the Indiana Convention Center. The JW Marriott Indianapolis holds 1,005 rooms and 104,482 square feet of meeting space.
Supply keeps arriving on that side. Visit Indy lists the Signia Hilton Indianapolis at 803 rooms and 235,000 square feet of meeting space, with the 143,500-square-foot convention center expansion and a December 2026 opening. The same page lists the Ritz-Carlton at 176 rooms for 2028, the Westin at Indianapolis International Airport at 253 rooms for 2027, the Kimpton at 167 rooms for 2027, and a 378-room Renaissance conversion for 2028.
The trail carries its own spending record. Visit Indy lists a $150 million walking and biking trails investment, and names the extension west over the White River by way of the new Greenlawn Memorial Bridge.
What no publisher carries
The city publishes no opening day inside early 2027, no traffic management plan, no event-day pedestrian plan and no coach staging area for the district. No source publishes a room-night or rate effect from the crossing. Rate teams can date the window and size the inventory. The demand split stays open.