City leaders broke ground Feb. 25 on the Purple Line, a 15-mile bus rapid transit (BRT) project that will connect downtown Indianapolis to Lawrence and bring infrastructure improvements such as sidewalks, curb ramps and street paving.
Even in the wet, cold weather, it was a celebratory atmosphere in a parking lot near the corner of East 38th Street and North Arlington Avenue. From funding uncertainties to Statehouse politics to the COVID-19 pandemic, ceremoniously scooping and tossing some dirt marked a major step forward for IndyGo and the Marion County Transit Plan.
Construction is expected to begin March 7, with the line expected to open in 2024.
“The start of Purple Line construction symbolizes the beginning of new opportunity and growth for an entire community,” CEO Inez Evans said.
From Lawrence to downtown, the Purple Line will go south on Post Road and then west on 38th Street before going south again at Meridian Street. The route then goes west at 18th Street, south at Capitol Avenue and west to the Julia M. Carson Transit Center. The route will share some of its 30 stops with the Red Line, which opened in 2019.
Mayor Joe Hogsett said supporting public transportation is about more than getting from Point A to Point B on a route; it’s also about connecting people to jobs, health care, education and food. He cited the new Cook Medical manufacturing facility that will open soon along East 38th Street and a new First Merchants Bank location in Avondale Meadows.
According to IndyGo, about 58,500 people, 60% of whom are minorities, and 134,600 jobs are within walking distance of the Purple Line.
“The truth is, in Indianapolis, upward mobility requires actual mobility,” Indianapolis City-County Council President Vop Osili said.
Infrastructure improvements will include almost 10 miles of sidewalks, 350 curb ramps compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, new street paving, a multi-use path and storm sewer separation. Like the Red Line, most of the Purple Line route will have painted bus-only lanes in the center of the road.
Rep. Andre Carson, who got credit for helping secure the federal funding for the project, said equity in transportation is a civil right and helps advance environmental justice. Purple Line buses will be electric.
“This will make us better connected, better prepared to compete in the 21st century and better suited to reduce long-standing inequalities,” he said.
The $188 million Purple Line is the second of three BRT projects IndyGo has planned. The forthcoming Blue Line, which will run 24 miles east and west along Washington Street connecting Cumberland and the airport, will cost an estimated $220 million.
Contact staff writer Tyler Fenwick at 317-762-7853 or email at tylerf@indyrecorder.com. Follow him on Twitter @Ty_Fenwick.
