FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) — Preliminary utility work for the Pufferbelly Trail pedestrian bridge over Coliseum Boulevard is set to begin Sunday evening.

City Utilities crews will relocate a sewer line starting at 8 p.m. Sunday, September 13. The work must be completed before construction can begin on the bridge, known as the Vann Family Crossing.

The project will close the right eastbound lane of West Coliseum Boulevard in the 400 block, east of Lima Road, for about five days.

Eastbound traffic will continue using the left lane, but drivers should expect delays in the area. Access to restaurants and businesses along that stretch of Coliseum Boulevard will remain open.

The Vann Family Crossing is expected to open in late winter 2027.

The bridge will be part of the Pufferbelly Trail, which is included in the Poka-Bache Connector. The 80-mile Indiana Visionary Trail will eventually connect Ouabache State Park in Bluffton to Pokagon State Park in Angola, running through Wells, Allen, DeKalb and Steuben counties.