Nora Keystone Gateway: Preliminary Design #1
This summer community members met with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. (KIB) for the Nora Alliance’s first meeting to capture public input regarding Nora’s Keystone & 86th Street Gateway.
Check out the PRELIMINARY DESIGN provided by Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc and CEC, Inc. We’d like to have your input!
Items discussed at July 2015 public meeting:
Appearance of space
Keep canopy
Examine range of improvements
Improve connectivity (accommodate future improvements)
Wildflowers
Public Art (North Central Students?)
Clean up trash
Improved signage
Neighborhood identity
Improve lines of sight
Incorporate INDOT trees
Preliminary design preparation thoughts:
- Improve manicured edge/INDOT required buffer – 20’ +/‐
- Accommodate future pedestrian connector
‐ Maintain a 25’ +/‐ manicured edge on north and south sides of 86th Street or approximately to top of sloped concrete wall and under power lines on south side
‐ Include area between north and southbound Keystone
- Identify invasive species and remove including Mulberry, Hackberry, Honeysuckle, etc.
- Contact INDOT to discuss influencing bridge color?
- Clean out invasives behind northbound exit ramp guardrail
Preliminary design initial phase (2015) thoughts:
1. See attached plan
Preliminary design future phase thoughts:
- Investigate topography for wet areas to create streambed landscape
- Incorporate limestone block “welcome to Nora” signs into landscape + accent stone – walls?
- Upgrade guardrails to painted – black?
- Upgrade signals and signal poles?
- Wayfinding – shopping, library, park, school, etc?…there is a N.C. sign on the northbound ramp
Given the scope, this is going to be a longer term project with the hope of having some initial quick wins as the construction wraps up.
Project background:
The Keystone Avenue Bridge at 86th Street, currently under construction, serves as a gateway to the Nora community. However, the bridge, exit ramps, and surrounding land have been neglected for years, collecting trash, invasive plants, and the occasional homeless person camping out in the overgrown wooded areas. With the current construction of the Keystone Bridge, we have an opportunity to give this area a facelift. Read the post “Nora’s 86th St / Keystone Bridge Gateway Beautification Project” for more about the project’s background.
