Big Four Bridge official opening set for June 25

• The Big Four Bridge will mark its formal opening of the span later this month with a parade
• Participants should line up on the Kentucky and Indiana ramps shortly before 5 p.m.
• The renovation of the bridge cost Kentucky more than $12 million and Indiana about $10 million
• More than 500,000 pedestrians, cyclists have been on the bridge since measuring began a year ago

The Big Four Bridge will mark its formal opening of the pedestrian span later this month with a cross-river parade.

Half of the parade will start in Indiana and the other half in Kentucky, with the units coming together in the center of the bridge on June 25.

"Families, joggers, bikers, and everyone who loves the bridge are invited to participate and decorate their bikes, wagons and strollers," Mayor Greg Fischer's office said in announcing the dedication program.

People who wish to participate should line up on the Kentucky and Indiana ramps shortly before the planned stepoff at 5 p.m.

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear and Fischer will lead the Kentucky units, while Jeffersonville Mayor Mike Moore will head the Hoosier parade group.

The renovation of the bridge cost Kentucky more than $12 million and Indiana about $10 million. Waterfront officials have raised nearly $2 million more to put special lighting on the bridge.

David Karem, executive director of the Waterfront Development Corp., said that "people had high expectations (of the reopened bridge), and it has exceeded them."

More than 500,000 pedestrians and cyclists have been recorded on the bridge since measuring began a year ago. "This is a staggering number. People love walking, running and biking across this bridge," he said.

Fischer recalled that hundreds of people went up on the Big Four when the Kentucky ramp opened in February 2013. "We had only a few hours' notice. But hundreds of people still descended on the bridge to be the first across," Fischer said.

Fischer hopes the formal dedication ceremony will draw even more people to the bridge.

Gov. Steve Beshear said in the release that he is looking forward to walking across the Big Four. "This is a day that has been long anticipated, and it will be remembered for even longer –— especially by the young people taking their first trip across the bridge."

To promote the celebration, many businesses, bars and restaurants in downtown Jeffersonville will stay open late that evening, officials said.

The Hoosier approach to the bridge opened last month.

"Whether you want a beer, or an ice cream cone or to do a little shopping, downtown Jeffersonville is ready to make your trip across the bridge even more fun, no matter which side you start on," Moore said.

WFPK Waterfront Wednesday's concert — featuring the Old 97s, The Whigs and Dawn Landes — will be held at 6 p.m. following the parade at the base of the bridge in Waterfront Park.

Reporter Sheldon S. Shafer can be reached at (502) 582-7089. Follow him on Twitter at @sheldonshafer.