Construction set to begin on pedestrian bridge near Bosse High School

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - After decades of advocacy, petitions and rallies, work is set to begin on a pedestrian bridge over U.S. Highway 41 to help Bosse High School Students cross six lanes of traffic safely.

[Previous story: Evansville residents react to US-41 pedestrian bridge progress]

For years, the intersection at Highway 41 and Washington Avenue, which sits right next to Bosse High School, has been a busy stretch of road that can be difficult for pedestrians to safely cross.

Bosse senior Troy Carlson said crossing the road is “pretty terrifying.”

“It’s like every time you do it, you get used to it eventually, but every time there’s still that thought in the back of your head like, ‘what if this goes wrong?,’” he said.

Carlson said he doesn’t understand why it took decades to get a safe way to cross.

“It’s almost been an idea for double the time I’ve been alive, and I think it’s almost disappointing because this road didn’t become busy this year,” he said.

EVSC School Board Member Mike Duckworth said he’s been trying to get a pedestrian bridge at the intersection for 20 years.

He said he worried for years that it would take an accident with one of the students to get any project approved.

“One of the very basics that school districts need to provide students is a safe way to school,” he said. “There’s been a lot of talk about being safe inside school, which that is very very important, but you have to get them there.”

After years of no movement on the project, Mayor Lloyd Winnecke says he brought Governor Eric Holcomb to cross the road for himself in 2019.

“Since the mid 90′s, the community has raised its hand and said, ‘We think this is important,’ and for whatever reason, it just didn’t rise to the level of getting done,” he said.

Carlson will graduate before the bridge will be ready to use, but he says he’s glad it will make life easier for the students coming after him.

“It’s not a big, looming feeling, but I don’t think that students should have to experience that on their way to school, so I’m looking forward to their being an overpass,” he said.

Indiana Department of Transportation Director of Public Relations Gary Brian said work is set to begin within the next two months on the project, which will also include a modified traffic pattern at the intersection.

He said he expects work to be completely finished on both projects by the end of 2024.

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