Construction on the $188 million Purple Line is expected to begin in early 2022. The route will extend from downtown Indianapolis to Lawrence.
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As Biden prepares to sign the infrastructure bill on Monday, eyes are turning to the man still best known as “Mayor Pete,” a newcomer whose promise of “generational change” and real-world sensibility of fixing potholes launched him to the top of the early Democratic primary contests during the 2020 campaign.
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IndyGo announced in September that it would cut bus frequencies on 15 routes, effective Oct. 10, in a decision driven by its workforce and ridership numbers.
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The nine planned projects stretch across the city. Each connects to existing and planned trails, bike-friendly streets, bus rapid transit lines and city landmarks.
Read MoreThe ordinance is increasingly relevant with construction on the second of three rapid-transit bus lines starting as soon as February, thanks to an $81 million federal transportation grant IndyGo landed last week.
The Purple Line will run along 38th Street, upgrading a traditional bus route that IndyGo says is among its most ridden and most profitable, and connecting downtown Indianapolis to Lawrence.
Earlier this month, the Democrat-controlled City-County Council voted 20-5 for new development standards that add residential and mixed-use districts to push bus usage, walkability and density county-wide.
When IndyGo’s goal of an all-electric bus fleet by 2035 hit a major obstacle, the agency detoured, ordering 27 hybrid buses that are powered with both electricity and diesel.
Money for highways, public transit, broadband and more are included in the U.S. Senate’s current version of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which could come to a vote as early as this weekend.
As discussions continued through the weekend, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman said both sides were “about 90% of the way there” on an agreement.
A Republican senator won initial approval this week for an amendment that would require IndyGo to pay public utilities to relocate utility services to make way for new transit lines, a move that Democrats say goes against standard practice.
Jennifer Beck, a senior project manager for INDOT, appeared before the Westfield City Council to alleviate fears that an estimated $15 million project expanding State Road 32 from two lanes to four would cost the city far more than expected.
Rep. Jim Pressel, who chairs the House Roads and Transportation Committee, will not schedule the measure for a vote by Thursday’s deadline, his spokesman said Wednesday, effectively killing the bill, which has already passed the Senate.
IndyGo has long struggled to improve its Open Door service for riders with disabilities. It’s launching a series of public meetings this week to solicit ideas from the public.
Senate Bill 141 would withhold 10% of local income tax revenue from IndyGo until it meets a private fundraising threshold established in a 2014 law. It also would prevent IndyGo from moving forward with expansion projects, like the Blue and Purple lines, until it secures private funding.
Senate Bill 141, authored by Sen. Aaron Freeman, R-Indianapolis, would withhold 10% of local income tax revenue from IndyGo until it meets a private fundraising threshold established in a 2014 law.
IndyGo has purchased one parcel and is working to purchase an adjacent one for its Open Door paratransit service, which is now housed on the city’s northeast side.
Under state law, the Indianapolis Public Transportation Foundation is supposed to raise about $6 million per year to supplement revenue generated by a Marion County transit tax. So far, it’s well behind the goal.
The east-side site, at 9503 E. 33rd St., will serve as an additional location for IndyGo, which has outgrown its current West Washington Street headquarters.
IndyGo has been evaluating possible expansion sites around the city in recent months because it has run out of room at its West Washington Street headquarters.
IndyGo said the balancing program would not eliminate any routes. IndyGo had planned to make major route changes this year, but has postponed those changes until next year because of the pandemic.
Indianapolis-based Synovia Solutions’ latest platform—Bus Guardian—helps with contact tracing and hygiene verification for school buses.
IndyGo is on the hunt for additional space because its staff and bus fleet have grown in recent years, making its current headquarters on West Washington Street too small for its needs.
Though work on the Purple Line and Blue Line bus rapid transit lines will continue, transit system says some other planned route improvements are on hold.
