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November 29, 2005
The public is invited to attend a groundbreaking ceremony signaling the start of construction of the long-awaited pedestrian bridge linking the main campus of Indiana University South Bend to 26 acres of property on the south side of the St. Joseph River.
The ceremony will take place at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 1, near the circle drive on Northside Boulevard on the south side of campus.
IU South Bend Chancellor Una Mae Reck will lead the ceremony. She will be joined by U.S. Rep. Chris Chocola. Also invited are representatives of U.S. Senators Evan Bayh and Richard Lugar, the Army Corps of Engineers, Indiana University and community leaders.
The $2.75 million project is funded by federal grants along with supplemental funds from Indiana University. The funding was recently completed with a $765,000 appropriation that was part of the 2005 Energy and Water Appropriations Conference report passed by Congress.
The pedestrian bridge will be 600 feet long and 10 feet wide. The most immediate needs to be addressed once the bridge is completed will be parking spaces for students and recreational fields to accommodate the growing intramural programs currently taking place at IU South Bend. Future development could include student housing. Construction of the pedestrian bridge is expected to take one year.
The Army Corps of Engineers will also be doing work to protect the riverbank from erosion on both ends of the bridge.
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