INDIANAPOLIS — Drivers on the west side of Indianapolis might have to rely on detours for up to another year after a delay in a bridge construction project.
The Indy DPW announced that its completion of the West Washington Street Bridge, over Little Eagle Creek, could be delayed for up to another year.
According to Indy DPW, workers found that the internal structural bridge components were "in worse shape than originally observed." The department is now coordinating with IndyGo as the bridge was originally scheduled to be fixed when the Blue Line project was completed.
"We made the decision to do the right thing," said Kyle Bloyd, Indy DPW Chief Communications Officer. "Repair this bridge the right way the first time, so we're not having to come back here in a short amount of time and do even more work."
Bloyd said, because the bridge is more than 100 years old, there are certain regulations and restrictions that must be followed. Those things take time, he added.
"Working on these historic bridges, it's tricky work," Bloyd said.
George Krier works at his family's auto sales business on West Washington Street, just yards from the construction site. Joe's Auto Sales has had a presence in the community for decades, setting up shop along one of the main thoroughfares into downtown.
"That's why we do business here," Krier said. "It's the car count. That's the driver."
With the ongoing construction, however, there is no car count. There is zero traffic. Krier said it's been that way since April.
"If they don't get this taken care of, there are a lot of people that are going to go out of business or have to downsize," Krier said.
While he says layoffs would be "worst case scenario," Krier said it's a real possibility at Joe's.
"People can't keep doing this," Krier said. "You don't want to start laying people off, but what do you do when there's no traffic?"
Not only has the ongoing construction hurt businesses, Krier said it's becoming a safety concern.
"This is a really dangerous situation," Krier said. "Someone is going to get hurt."
That's because, despite signage on Washington Street, pedestrians cross the deconstructed bridge anyway.
"When I told the city about people crossing over here, they just put a sign up over there that said, 'sidewalk closed,'" Krier said. "That didn't do much. They'll go down and cross the creek. Again, it's a really unsafe situation."
Bloyd said Indy DPW is monitoring traffic patterns and detours for possible changes in the months to come.
A spokesperson for the company said they expect the current work to add another 25 to 50 years of service life to the bridge.
"Please just come back and finish the job," Krier said. "We can't go another year out. That's just unacceptable."
The construction team is targeting to finish the project by summer 2025.
To show support to the neighborhood and connect with nearby residents, Krier said Joe's is hosting a Labor Day Weekend event with free food and prizes. The event runs Aug. 30 and 31.