INDIANAPOLIS — A study funded through a $2 million grant from the federal government will look into how to make the Virginia and Fletcher avenue bridges over I-65 and I-70 more livable and interconnected with the rest of Indianapolis.
The study will specifically analyze what a potential interstate cap could look like in that area.
Interstate caps, sometimes called a freeway lid, are a type of deck bridge that can be constructed over the gap of a sunken freeway or interstate to create more greenspace. Developers can then create more parks or commercial development within that additional space, and connect it with downtown urban spaces.
“It makes it almost like the highway disappears so you no longer have this divide,” said Brenda Freije, the president & CEO of the Rethink Coalition that will oversee the study.
That type of design has been implemented in cities across the country to create enhanced public or commercial spaces like The Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston, Aubrey Davis Park in Seattle and City Arch River Park in St. Louis.
"They will envision different capping and bridging options that best support community needs such as workforce housing, entrepreneurship, open space, and greenways that enhance quality of life. This will be done in collaborative partnership with the Indiana Department of Transportation, which owns and manages the interstate system," said a press release sent out from the city and the Rethink Coalition.
About 60 local groups have signed on to support the study, including the Fletcher Place Neighborhood Association.
“When you look at Fletcher Place, it’s a historic neighborhood, it’s beautiful and we are so close to the highway. It would be lovely to have a little less highway and more green space, economic development and solutions that work for everybody,” said Andrea Watts, the president of FPNA.
The study is funded through the Reconnecting Communities initiative established through President Biden's bipartisan infrastructure law, and provides technical assistance for community construction for projects that connect neighborhoods negatively impacted by transportation barriers.
In Indianapolis, the construction of I-70 and I-65 downtown displaced at least 17,000 people and destroyed 8,000 businesses.
The announcement was made on behalf of Mayor Joe Hogsett, Congressman André Carson, the Rethink Coalition, and the Indy Chamber. The $2 million grant award will be matched with $250,000 of in-kind services from the Indy Chamber and the Rethink Coalition, who will serve as the project manager of the study.
The City of Indianapolis will contribute an additional $500,000 in matching funds.