IndyGo buses to make significant changes to routes in October
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Regular IndyGo bus users may soon find out they can’t get where they used to go on the same route.
The Indianapolis public transit agency and municipal corporation says it’s making one of its most significant sets of service changes starting Oct. 13.
The route changes will come as IndyGo prepares to start its second bus rapid-transit route, the Purple Line. The 15.2-mile route will travel to and from the Fort Benjamin Harrison area in Lawrence, on the northeast side of Marion County — primarily along North Post Road, East 38th Street, North Meridian Street and North Capitol Avenue — and to and from the downtown IndyGo transit center.
The first bus rapid-transit route, the Red Line, opened on Labor Day weekend in 2019.
A series of meetings has been set to discuss the route changes and the Purple Line’s start. Those meetings include a virtual one via Zoom at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 9. Other in-person meetings will happen from Sept. 10-30. Find a list of the meeting times, dates and locations on the IndyGo website.
From a news release issued Wednesday from IndyGo, the route changes are listed below.
“Route 4 – With the upcoming Purple Line service to Fort Harrison, all Route 4 trips will terminate at Community Hospital North. Between 10th and 38th streets, Route 4 will also take Central Avenue in both directions, instead of traveling northbound on Delaware Street and southbound on Central Avenue.
“Route 10 – Currently, Route 10 has two alignments west of Girls School Road. Starting in October, this will be consolidated to one alignment. All trips will serve Girls School Road outbound to Meijer and inbound trips from Meijer will use Raceway Road to 10th Street.
“Route 18 – This route number will be retired as part of the northside realignment. Route 18’s current service between the Julia M. Carson Transit Center (CTC) and Butler University will be covered by Route 28, and its service between Butler University and Glendale Town Center will be preserved by a modified Route 19.
“Route 19 – Instead of proceeding north after Glendale Town Center, Route 19 will take Route 18’s former alignment through Broad Ripple to Butler University. Service on 62nd Street east of Rural Street and most service on Allisonville Road will be discontinued. Service to Castleton Square Mall and Community Hospital North will be preserved through the new Route 82. Additionally, instead of split alignments on 46th and 52nd streets, all trips will take 46th Street, doubling the frequency of service along this corridor. Route 19 will take Keystone Avenue between 46th and 52nd streets, rather than its current alignment on Pennwood Drive, Willowbrook Parkway and Kingsway Drive.
“Route 28 – Route 28 will reach its north side terminus with a one-way “clockwise” loop around Dugan Drive, Township Line Road and 86th Street to the line’s end at St Vincent Hospital on Harcourt Road.
“Route 29 (formerly 902) – The Route 902 name will be retired and replaced with Route 29. The one-way loop at its northern terminus will take the opposite direction, going northbound on Madison Avenue, eastbound on National Avenue and southbound on Shelby Street.
“Route 30 – Route 30 will be extended and continue on 30th Street east of Shadeland Avenue. Service on Shadeland Avenue between 30th and Washington streets will be discontinued. From East 30th Street, Route 30 will turn onto Franklin Road and then 42nd Street, preserving Route 39’s former service. It will then travel north on German Church Road and serve the shopping area by the intersection of Pendleton Pike and Sunnyside Road. Service on this route will increase in frequency from 60 minutes to 30 minutes on weekdays and 45 minutes on weekends.
“Route 31 – Route 31 will take Shelby Street and County Line Road in both directions, rather than the current one-way loop on these roads and US 31. The previous one-way service on US 31, between Shelby Street and County Line Road, will be discontinued. In addition, between Sumner and Hanna avenues, Route 31 will divert onto Shelby Street to serve the University of Indianapolis and transfer with the Red Line and new Route 29. Service on Madison Avenue within this stretch will be discontinued, except three northbound stops to be served by the new Route 29.
“Route 39 – Route 39 will be discontinued and replaced largely by the Purple Line. Service on Meridian Street, between Ohio and 16th streets, will be preserved by routes 11 and 25. Service on Central Avenue will be preserved by routes 4, 19 and 28. The corridors of Franklin Road, between 38th and 42nd streets, and 42nd Street, between Franklin and Mitthoefer roads, will be preserved by a realigned Route 30.
“Route 82 (formerly Route 901) – The new Route 82 will cover much of two routes that are scheduled to be retired: 86 and 901. It will cover the area previously served by Route 901, except for segments north of 86th Street where service will be discontinued. Rather than terminating at 6410 N. College Ave., the new Route 82 will travel Broad Ripple Avenue to serve the Glendale Town Center area. The route will connect Glendale Town Center, Broad Ripple, Nora Plaza, Keystone Fashion Mall, Castleton Square Mall and Community Hospital North with 30-minute frequency. This allows for a frequency increase on 86th and 82nd streets east of College Avenue.
“Route 86 – Route 86 will be retired. Service on 86th and 82nd streets east of College Avenue will be preserved by the new Route 82. West of College Avenue, Route 37 will continue to serve Park 100, and routes 28 and 34 will continue to serve the St Vincent Hospital area.
“Purple Line/Route 92 – The Purple Line, or Route 92, will largely replace Route 39 and the Lawrence portions of Route 4. Between the CTC and 38th Street, the Purple Line will share twelve stations with the Red Line, doubling frequency on the Capitol Avenue and Meridian Street corridors. From the 38th Street and Park Avenue Station onward, it will serve 38th Street before turning on Post Road to terminate in Lawrence.”
