FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) – Mayor Sharon Tucker announced Thursday that the City of Fort Wayne has received a $5 million gift to assist in the funding of a future bridge crossing over Coliseum Boulevard that is planned to be constructed as part of the Pufferbelly Trail.
The Vann Family Foundation provided the funds for the planned connection. Jim Vann was a former shareholder and chairperson of Rea Magnet Wire in Fort Wayne.
“My wife, Lee, loved the trails system in Fort Wayne,” said Jim Vann. “The bridge is our way of saying thank you to the late Mayor Tom Henry and Mayor Tucker, to all Rea employees, and to our citizens for creating such a special place to live and work. We are proud to call Fort Wayne our home.”
The bridge will cross Coliseum Boulevard on the west side of Bob Thomas Ford and Mission BBQ. This is nearly the same spot that the New York Central Railroad Corridor crossed Coliseum Boulevard years ago.
The bridge will cross a road that is used by more than 37,000 vehicles per day.
The city says additional funds will need to be generated to enable the bridge crossing to be completed. A projected timeline includes construction in 2026 pending all necessary approvals.
In addition to the bridge donation, work will begin in August on the next phase of the Pufferbelly Trail from Ice Way to Washington Center Road. The investment of over $3 million investment will include a 1.8-mile extension of trail that is expected to be finished in the fall of 2025. The trail and bridge will connect 130 miles of existing trails in the greater Fort Wayne area.
The Pufferbelly Trail is one segment of the 81-mile Poka-Bache Connector trail from Pokagon State Park in Angola to Ouabache State Park in Bluffton, which is 60% complete.
