IndyGo awarded $22M for work on Blue Line, Washington Street
INDIANAPOLIS (MIRROR INDY) — IndyGo has received a nearly $22 million federal grant to make improvements to a 5-mile stretch of East Washington Street, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced June 26.
The planned upgrades include dedicated bus rapid transit lanes for the Blue Line, improved sidewalks and crossings, and Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant curb ramps. New traffic signals also will be added along East Washington Street from Highland Avenue in the Holy Cross neighborhood to Edmondson Avenue in Irvington.
The cash infusion, which comes from a grant program created following the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is in addition to the $142 million in federal funding the project is slated to receive as part of President Biden’s budget request to Congress.
IndyGo officials say the $400 million project will reduce transit travel times and improve safety for all road users, especially those in underserved communities.
The Blue Line was nearly derailed during the 2024 legislative session when state Sen. Aaron Freeman, R-Indianapolis, authored a bill that would have temporarily prevented IndyGo from using dedicated bus lanes for the project. The transit agency said the move would have prohibited the Blue Line from receiving federal funding in 2025 and effectively shuttered the project.
Freeman’s bill passed the Senate but was killed by House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers, after city and state officials reached a compromise behind closed doors.
The Blue Line will provide rapid transit along a 24-mile stretch of Washington Street between Cumberland and the Indianapolis International Airport, using I-70 west of Holt Road. The service will replace the existing Route 8.
Construction is expected to start in March 2025 and be completed by the end of 2027.
Peter Blanchard covers local government. Reach him at 317-605-4836 or peter.blanchard@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @peterlblanchard.