INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis is kicking off the 2024 construction season, and this year the city said it plans to spend more than $360 million improving roads, bridges, enhance pedestrian safety and improve stormwater infrastructure.
Twenty million of those dollars will go towards turning New York and Michigan streets into two-way streets on the near east side. Mayor Joe Hogsett said that project will rehab sidewalks, encourage safer driving speeds and have protected bike lanes.
In total, the city plans to construct more than 20 miles of new sidewalk, more than 20 miles of new bike lanes and around 20 miles of trails.
"That means those who travel without a car will have a total of 60-plus miles of safer, newly constructed pathway. That reflects our city's overall increase in pedestrian and cyclist safety investments this coming year," said Hogsett. "That reflects our city’s overall increase in pedestrian and cyclist safety investments this coming year."
"We know our city has challenges. Our infrastructure is old and does not match the current needs and desires of our residents, but all across the city, Indy DPW engineers are finding ways to build better infrastructure for our residents," said Indianapolis Department of Public Works director Brandon Herget. "Getting all of our residents more safely from point A to point B is the number one directive."
The city also hopes to improve stormwater infrastructure, starting with a project aimed to improve drainage on Shadeland Avenue from Kensington Drive to 52nd Street. That project is expected to break ground soon.
These efforts in 2024 are part of the city's five-year, $1.2 billion plan to improve infrastructure.
