Change lanes. Detour. Change lanes again. Swerve to avoid a car that’s swerving to avoid a pothole. Pray for your shocks and struts as you scuttle along the patchworked pavement.
For months, that’s been the daily experience for people who depend on East Washington Street for their commutes.
The city is re-engineering one of the east side’s major arteries to make way for the Blue Line, a 24-mile bus line between Cumberland and the Indianapolis International Airport. More than half of the route will make use of new bus-only lanes being installed on Washington Street.
The city’s east side is currently feeling the brunt of the construction, but work will eventually stretch all the way to the airport.
“It’s not just a transportation project. It’s an infrastructure project,” said Lisa Soard, director of communications for IndyGo.
The construction will bring nearly 10 miles of new or replaced sidewalks, lane resurfacing and hundreds of new or replaced wheelchair-accessible curb ramps. Utility updates scheduled for several years down the line were moved up to coincide with Blue Line construction, so streets won’t have to be ripped up more than once, Soard explained.
The metal sheets on the road — unsightly and nerve-wracking as they may be — prevent construction workers from having to jackhammer into 30 feet of asphalt more than once. The temporary patches will prevent months or years’ worth of additional work, Soard said.
The IndyGo construction is taking place simultaneously with a rash of other infrastructure improvements: there’s the Indiana Department of Transportation’s I-65 Safety and Efficiency Project, the final phases of DigIndy, and new buildings coming to downtown.
For more about those projects, visit INDOT’s I-65 website and Citizens Energy Group’s DigIndy information page.
How long will the Washington Street construction take?
Blue Line construction is broken into 12 sections, each with its own timetable. Soard said detailed information about planned interruptions along each section will become available near start dates.
For some sections, construction will be yearslong: work on West Washington Street between Rockville Road and Belmont Avenue, near the Stringtown neighborhood, will span from late 2025 through mid-2028.
That doesn’t mean the Rockville to Belmont section will be closed or actively under construction for that entire time period, Soard explained. Instead, the timeframe means that all work will be completed at some point within that period. There may be months where traffic isn’t affected at all.
Outside of these time frames, there will likely be construction work not related to IndyGo, Soard said.
Citizens Energy Group is currently replacing sewers and lead-lined water pipes for homes along segments of East Washington Street not yet slated to begin IndyGo construction.
The result has been a seemingly endless run of East Washington Street roadwork and traffic snarls from Alabama Street downtown to I-465.
Here’s a list of planned IndyGo construction along Washington Street:
Why does a bus line require so much construction?
The Blue Line is the last of three new bus lines designed to improve the speed and accessibility of the city’s public transit systems. The Red Line and Purple Line, which began operating in 2019 and 2024 respectively, have so far seen ridership top out at more than 100,000 trips per month.
The Blue Line, which is expected to begin operating in 2028, will replace what’s known as Route 8. The new route will run every 15 to 20 minutes during peak hours, cutting down on wait times as long as 75 minutes for some riders. The route itself will also be about 15 to 20 minutes faster from end to end.
The bus will drive in a dedicated lane similar to the Red and Purple lines. That’s to help keep buses on schedule by clearing traffic, Soard explained, and it will also save cars the frustration of getting stuck behind a bus during a long stop.
With the new lanes, the buses will operate on their own traffic lights. Bus drivers will be able to send messages to the lights based on current traffic information, which will prevent cars from having to make way for turning buses at tight intersections, Soard explained.
How much will the Blue Line project cost?
The Blue Line’s budget is between $370 and $390 million, which will cover the cost of construction, new stations and additions to the bus fleet. The funding breaks down as follows, according to a February 2025 presentation:
Over the course of the project, IndyGo will work with more than 40 consultants, contractors and subcontractors, Soard said.
Where to learn about upcoming closures
IndyGo sends out a weekly email that people can sign up for on its website, indygo.net/blue-line. Construction updates are sent out one to three weeks in advance every Friday morning.
A list of all future Blue Line detours can be found in a Feb. 17, 2025 IndyGo presentation. Citizens Energy Group maintains a public map of its ongoing projects, too.
The City of Indianapolis also has a tool that shows current and upcoming closures and detours within its boundaries.
If there’s a particular area of interest people can opt-in to email alerts about upcoming road closures by navigating to the city’s map tool, clicking the bell icon, and drawing a square over your chosen area. This tool shows information about all sorts of closures, ranging from utility work to the Monumental Marathon.
Where to report concerns about construction
Anyone encountering an issue with construction, like an unclear detour or a safety hazard, is encouraged to reach out to IndyGo’s Blue Line construction liaison Deaon Smith at deaon.smith@indygo.net or 317-296-3997.
Not all construction along Washington Street is under the purview of IndyGo, but Smith will be able to direct concerns to the right place if not.
IndyGo also has an outreach coordinator to help answer businesses’ and the public’s questions about the project. Clarence Underwood can be reached at cunderwood@jqolusa.com or 317-721-4633.
Free roadside signs letting customers know you’re open for business throughout the construction are available.
Anybody with specific comments or questions about upcoming changes to their neighborhood or commute can reach out to one of IndyGo’s Blue Line liaisons. They’re also available to speak at neighborhood meetings, churches, or schools, Soard said.
Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter for IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Just what is happening on East Washington Street? Blue Line construction explained
Reporting by Ryan Murphy, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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