INDOT: Crews work toward December opening of the North Split

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indianapolis Department of Transportation tells News 8 that crews are pushing forward to complete the North Split project in December.

INDOT spokesperson Kyleigh Cramer said, “Our biggest goal of 2022 is opening up the interchange so we can get traffic and commuting through Indianapolis. That is our biggest goal of 2022. You’ll still see some construction. You’ll still see some INDOT trucks in 2023, of course. That’s just adding, like, the urban forest.”

The project aims to consolidate the interchange and make it safer.

“We’re stacking everything to make it smaller, to stop taking up as much room. That was the biggest design that we wanted,” Cramer said. “We wanted to give space back to some places. We’re building a lot more ramps to allow people to get to and from without having to cross traffic really quickly.”

Cramer said, “This is only a symbol of how big Indianapolis is growing and the area around it. Again, it’s not just Indy. We’re connecting such big places through (interstates) 65 and 70.”

The project is impacted by inflation but, Cramer said, it has not gone over budget to her knowledge.

“Not only are those prices increasing, but we are finding there’s not a lot of availability with those products as well, which has put the biggest slowdown in production,” Cramer said.

Drivers say they are ready for the road work to be over. Caleb Whitehead said, “I know a lot of people who live downtown but still have to commute outward, and so these highways getting done on time is definitely going to help that. Springtime rush is going to be really enjoyable.”