The city names the crossing
The Indianapolis Board of Public Works approved the name Greenlawn Memorial Bridge on 22 July 2026. The bridge over the White River carried the working name Henry Street Bridge. A community advisory group formed to study the site's history chose the name.
The bridge is under construction between Washington Street and Oliver Street. It carries two vehicular travel lanes, one in each direction, and an extension of the Indianapolis Cultural Trail for bicyclists and pedestrians. The city expects construction to finish by early 2027, and the rings encircling the structure are visible.
The project page states the purpose: added vehicular and pedestrian connectivity between the west side and downtown, and reduced congestion on Oliver Avenue and Washington Street as the White River Innovation District develops.
The excavation that moved the schedule
The route crosses the former Greenlawn Cemetery, the city's first public burial ground. Founded in 1821, the site grew past 25 acres and operated until 1890, when the city banned new burials.
Human remains were found at the site in 2024. The city hired an archaeology firm, which excavated more than 1,700 grave shafts inside the right of way and recovered 19th-century artifacts. The year-long excavation finished in October 2025. Plans to reinter the individuals remain in development.
The city announced the project at $21.2 million three years ago with a March 2026 opening date. Construction now runs about a year past that date.
What the crossing adds for hotel revenue teams
The bridge connects the Elanco campus and the wider White River Innovation District to roads near Lucas Oil Stadium. Guests on the west bank get a walking and cycling route into downtown on the Cultural Trail extension.
The district generates weekday room nights from its own employers. Elanco opened its $200-million-plus global headquarters on the former GM Stamping Plant site on 1 October 2025. The three-building campus holds a six-story administration building, a two-story laboratory building and a two-story collaboration building. Elanco states the headquarters is home to more than 725 employees based in Greater Indianapolis.
Elanco, Purdue University and the Indiana Economic Development Corp. are building the OneHealth Innovation District beside the campus. The state sold Elanco an additional portion of the old stamping plant for $27 million as part of that work.
The trail extension will carry pedestrian and bicycle traffic into the district at weekends. No operator has published a weekend capture for the bridge or the district.
What the file leaves out
No published study carries a room-night or rate effect for the bridge. The project page carries the lanes, the trail, the public meeting record and the monthly construction reports. It publishes no opening day inside early 2027, no traffic plan, and no coach staging or loading zone for the district.
Ask Indy DPW for the completion date and the trail connection points west of the river. Ask the district's employers for their weekday capture and their meeting inventory. The bridge carries the access. The room-night numbers sit with the operators.