$5 million donation to help finance an elevated walkway across a busy Fort Wayne Boulevard

Fort Wayne, Indiana – The Pufferbelly Trail in Fort Wayne will get a pedestrian bridge built across the busy Coliseum Boulevard thanks to a $5 million donation from a nonprofit foundation, the municipal government said on Monday.

The former chairperson of Rea Magnet Wire in Fort Wayne and a stakeholder of the Vann Family Foundation is Jim Vann. He has reportedly been a vital community supporter and leader, according to the city.

“My wife, Lee, loved the trails system in Fort Wayne,” said Jim Vann in a news release. “The bridge is our way of saying thank you to the late Mayor Tom Henry and Mayor (Sharon) 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.”

Crossing Coliseum Boulevard/State Road 930 on the west side of the Bob Thomas Ford dealership on the north side and the Mission BBQ restaurant on the south side will be the Pufferbelly Trial pedestrian bridge. It’s the location of a former railroad crossing.

There are 37,575 automobiles in that area daily.

Although a precise budget for the project was not disclosed in the news release, the local government claims that further funding would be required to finish the pedestrian bridge. The elevated walkway is expected to be finished in 2026.

The 81-mile Poka-Bache Connector trail, which connects Pokagon State Park in Angola to Ouabache State Park in Bluffton, is 60% finished, with the Pufferbelly Trial part still under construction.