South Bend residents voice concerns over proposed pedestrian bridge plan

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Homeowners in South Bend's Riverbend neighborhood are raising concerns about the city's plans for a pedestrian bridge. The Marion-Madison connector would cross the St. Joseph River near the bend between East Marion Street and Riverside Drive.

Michele Gelfman has lived at her current address on Riverside Drive for more than three decades, and she says she's beyond exhausted with this bridge situation.

The 12-foot-wide bridge comes with a multi-million-dollar price tag. The Common Council approved a bid Monday night, and construction could begin this year. But for Michele Gelfman, the dollar amount isn't even at the top of her list of grievances with this ordeal.

"Basically, they were just telling us that the bridge is going in no matter what. So, all of the petitions, all of the concerns of all of the neighbors in the Riverbend neighborhood, didn't matter," said Gelfman.

In addition to the connector bridge, the city's plan would include a Marion Street Trail and a Madison Street Trail, with the goal of connecting bike trails, parks, and communities. The bridge would sit a few blocks from Memorial Hospital, and across from the East Bank Village and Sunny Italy Cafe. Talks of this bridge have gone on for nearly a decade.

"What we had everybody sign in the neighborhood, the petition, was 2019, and i have the 2019 petition that was given to the city, and then we did another one last year in 2025, this has been an ongoing battle with the city since 2018," said Gelfman.

I spoke with Chris Dressel from South Bend's Department of Community Investment.
He says Gelfman's claim of city officials telling her the bridge is happening is accurate.

"If we're looking at the black and white of if this bridge is going to be built or not be built, we're being completely up front and transparent by saying this bridge is already under design and it will be built," said Dressel.

Dressel tells ABC57 he and others have had plenty of conversations about the planned bridge but cautions nearby homeowners the city is also thinking of the broader community with this plan.

"In these facilities, we have to think about all audiences, so all audiences, any potential user of that bridge, is many people, so it's anyone. They could be walking between the East Bank and Downtown, they could be taking a bike ride to Mishawaka, or a bike ride to Michigan," said Dressel.

The city is hosting an informal meeting about this topic Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Howard Park Events Center.