INDIANAPOLIS — Starting April 10, 38th Street between Emerson and Shadeland avenues will be closed for 130-days.
Construction work for the IndyGo Purple Line will close all but one eastbound lane and all westbound lanes.
Work will be done on road improvements and drainage.
Here's how to get around the construction:
- People driving west can detour around the closure using Shadeland Avenue, 46th Street and Emerson Avenue.
- IndyGo Bus Route 39 westbound will detour around the closure using Shadeland Avenue, 34th Street and Emerson Avenue.
NOTE: The above video is from a previous report on the closure plan.
People heading east can either use the one open lane or take other routes, including 46th Street.
The previous closure along 38th Street, between Keystone and Emerson avenues, will reopen to two-way traffic on or after Monday, April 10.
The Purple Line is scheduled to open for service in late 2024. It will run 15 miles and connect downtown to Lawrence.
More information on the Purple Line can be found by clicking here.
What the Purple Line includes
By the numbers, the Purple Line includes:
- 15.2 miles
- 30 stations
- 90% will have dedicated bus lanes
- More than 25% reduction in transit travel times
Budget
- Infrastructure: $127M
- Stations: $36M
- Vehicles: $18M
- ROW & Finance Costs: $7M
Funding
- FTA Small Starts Grant: $81M
- Additional federal grants: $33.9M
- DPW funds: $1.2M
- IndyGo Income Tax/Bonds: $69.3M
Stations
The Purple Line will encompass 30 stations along the entirety of its route (combined with Red Line), but the new section will mean building 18 more stations.
Those stations will include features such as ticket vending machines, level boarding, real-time arrival signs, security cameras and be ADA accessible. They will even have snow melt when conditions get frosty.
Operating schedule:
- Monday – Friday
5 a.m. – 1 a.m. every 10-15 minutes - Saturday
6 a.m. – 1 a.m. every 10-15 minutes - Sunday
7 a.m. – 10 p.m. every 10-15 minutes
Infrastructure improvements
The Purple Line's budget of $188 million breakdown with $127 million going to infrastructure.
- 25 new or upgraded traffic signals
- 3 miles of multi-use path
- Add or repair 9.5 miles of sidewalk
- 392 new curb ramps
- 51,700 feet of storm sewer
- 26.5 lane miles of road resurfacing
Here is an example of what the changes will look like near Kingdom Apostolic Ministries:
While roadways are being resurfaced and sidewalks constructed, storm drain tunnels will be added to remove approximately 40 acres of storm water from the combined sewer system. This will also help with pooling issues on the roadways during heavy rainfall.
With 90% of the Purple Line having dedicated bus lanes, drivers along East 38th Street will notice a loss of a lane to either a bus-only center lane(s) or bus lanes that can be shared when a driver needs to make a left turn.
How to stay up to date
There will be many changes and developments along the way with the construction of the Purple Line. IndyGo said the best way for people to be kept aware of weekly changes and progress is to click here and sign up for updates.