Fort Wayne will dedicate The Spire: Wounded Veterans Memorial at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11, Veterans Day, at the roundabout where Saint Francis Drive meets West Main Street, WOWO reported.

The memorial honors wounded veterans and the late Mayor Tom Henry and his wife, Cindy.

The street was formerly Leesburg Road, and the city's project page says the extension was recently renamed.

Mayor Sharon Tucker, Public Works officials and local military and government officials are expected to attend.

The Journal Gazette also covered the announcement, and 96.3XKE published the city's invitation to the public.

What to know if you attend

Veterans are encouraged to wear their military uniforms, and special seating will be available in front of the monument for Purple Heart recipients.

Parking will be available at VFW Post 857, 2202 W. Main St., and Power Components Corporation, 1936 W. Main St.

Saint Francis Drive and West Main Street will be closed to through traffic from 4 to 6:30 p.m., but people attending can still reach both parking lots.

Drivers who normally use the roundabout should plan another route that evening.

Because the ceremony is outdoors in November, consider dressing for the weather.

The project behind the memorial

The roundabout and memorial are part of the Leesburg Road Extension Project in the Nebraska Neighborhood, an infrastructure investment of more than $12 million, according to the city.

The neighborhood sits just west of downtown, and WANE reported that the extension connects the road beside SweetCars and the former Westwood Lanes bowling alley to the Main Street intersection.

The project extended the road to Jefferson Boulevard and added a new traffic signal near SweetCars, ADA-compliant sidewalks, improved drainage, street lighting and landscaping.

City leaders showed plans for the roundabout, including a wounded veterans memorial monument, at a public open house in July 2024, and WFFT covered the open house.

The city expected construction to begin in 2025 and finish in summer 2026.

WBOI reported on a public presentation of the extension in early 2025, and WANE described the plan to connect the road to Jefferson Boulevard.

The city says Fort Wayne has invested more than $419 million in neighborhood infrastructure improvements since 2014.

Neighborhood infrastructure is also a major part of the proposed 2027 city budget, and City Council has weighed preliminary cuts to the plan.

Other Veterans Day events

The Allen County Council of Veterans Organizations held its 2025 Veterans Day parade on Parnell Avenue, with 63 entries, according to WOWO.

We did not find a confirmed 2026 parade date in the sources reviewed, so check with the council before planning around it.

Mayor Henry's office also hosted a dedication for the Fort Wayne Veterans Memorial Bridge in September 2023, according to the city.

Details can change, so confirm the time and road closures with the City of Fort Wayne before you go.