Make wishtv.com your home page

$35 million worth of summer road work underway in Indianapolis

Crews work June 21, 2022, on a road near East 91st Street and Allisonwood Drive in Indianapolis. (WISH Photo)

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Construction is underway on road repairs around Indianapolis thanks to $10 million in funding.

Work is already being done on both East 91st Street and South Tibbs Avenue.

Another $3 million will toward the design of future projects.

Dan Parker, director of Indianapolis Department of Public Works, said June 21, “There’s going to be projects going on all over the city. We wanted to get started given the condition of these streets coming out of winter and spring. There will be a project as the (City-County Council) counselor said in each district.”

The new road construction projects will be complete this summer.

$25 million to be spent on reconstructing streets

In a separate announcement June 29, city leaders announce the start of construction for Circle City Forward Phase 2.

It’s a $25 million initiative targeting the reconstruction of residential streets. Construction on the first of five contracts will begin this week, with the full program comprising more than 240 street segments across Marion County. 

News releases

“INDIANAPOLIS—This morning, Mayor Hogsett joined the Indianapolis Department of Public Works (Indy DPW) to announce the start of $10 million in immediate roadway repairs across Marion County. The supplemental distribution of County Option Income Tax (COIT) funding (originally announced two weeks ago), will allow for street resurfacing over and beyond the previously announced 2022 construction budget and capital program. Construction work has already begun on both E 91st Street and S Tibbs Avenue.

“’The City of Indianapolis continues to do everything in its power to uncover more funding sources to help bring our city’s local roads up to the condition that residents deserve,’ said Mayor Hogsett. ‘We know better infrastructure is an urgent priority for all neighborhoods. That’s why, only two weeks after my office proposed an additional $13 million for enhancing residential streets, we have begun work on projects throughout Marion County.’

“… The proposed fiscal ordinance received unanimous approval last Thursday at the Public Works Committee meeting, and $10 million will be designated yet this summer to rehabilitating streets with significant pavement deterioration. In making selections as to which streets to target, Indy DPW provided councillors with an understanding of the most deteriorated streets in their districts based on vendor data and evaluations. Councillors reviewed this list to add their localized insights, and Indy DPW selected segments across every council district to address with immediate street repair efforts. Twenty-nine target areas were selected throughout the county, with more than 100 lane miles expected to be rehabilitated this summer as a part of the effort. The streets that will undergo immediate rehabilitation include segments of:

“Moore Road

“College Avenue

“Allisonville Road

“Hague Road

“East 79th Street

“West 56th Street

“East 46th Street

“West 62nd Street

“West 30th Street

“Burdsal Parkway

“Emerson Avenue

“Tobey Drive

“Cumberland Road

“West 10th Street

“West Ray Street

“East St. Clair Street

“East Hanna Avenue

“East 10th Street

“Superior Road

“East Troy Avenue

“West Morris Street

“Brehob Road

“East Edgewood Road

“East Southport Road

“East 91st Street

“Grandview Drive

“Dugan Drive

“South Tibbs Avenue

“Beyond the $10 million for immediate construction contracts, an additional $3 million of the fiscal ordinance has been designated to the design of future residential roadway projects. These funds will kick-start future improvements along residential streets, preparing designs for full street reconstruction. With this targeted appropriation, the City of Indianapolis continues to be efficient with funds received via the state and responsive to the needs of Indy residents. This new funding is in addition to nearly $160 million previously programmed for transportation infrastructure construction projects across Indianapolis in 2022.”

Indianapolis Department of Public Works news release issued June 21, 2022

“INDIANAPOLIS—Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett joined the Indianapolis Department of Public Works (Indy DPW) today to announce the start of construction for Circle City Forward Phase 2—a $25 million initiative targeting the reconstruction of residential streets. Construction on the first of five contracts will begin this week, with the full program comprising more than 240 street segments across Marion County.

“‘What residents should know is that the City of Indianapolis is exploring every possible source of road funding — conventional or otherwise,’ said Mayor Hogsett. ‘Last May, as part of Circle City Forward, we pledged to target these capital improvement dollars beyond our major thoroughfares to less-travelled roadways right outside our front doors.’

“The first segments to be completed on the contractor’s schedule will be along Park Avenue and 40th Street. Pictures of the event are below. The original list of street segments announced as a part of Circle City Forward – Phase 2 is available at indy.gov/dpw.

“With all segments expected complete by the spring of 2023, each location will be reconstructed from curb-to-curb after a full design process– as opposed to simple resurfacing or road maintenance measures. A total of more than 100 lane miles of pavement will be addressed, with many associated upgrades to impacted curb infrastructure, ADA-accessible ramps, and some sidewalk segments.

About Circle City Forward:

“Mayor Joe Hogsett launched the first phase of the Circle City Forward initiative in February 2021 with the announcement of $190 million in enhancements to City-County facilities, to improve the delivery of local government services while investing in Marion County neighborhoods. A second phase announced in May of that year targeted residential roadways with $25 million of reconstruction, in consultation with City-County Council leadership as to an equitable distribution method. The third phase of Circle City Forward includes $25 million for trail and greenway projects. A fourth phase of the program, announced in June 2022, invests an additional $13 million in thoroughfares and residential streets–an initial $10 million for immediate pavement rehabilitation and a further $3 million for the design of future projects.

“All phases of the Circle City Forward initiative (now totaling more than a quarter of a billion dollars) continue to route public funding to neighborhood improvements beyond the regular annual budgetary process, boosting communities as they rebound from the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Indianapolis Department of Public Works news release issued June 29, 2022