Business owners breathe sigh of relief after Broad Ripple Avenue reopens

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — For the first time since early September, drivers were able to pass through Broad Ripple Avenue at Guilford and Winthrop Avenues.

City officials reopened this stretch of road after completing the first phase of a large infrastructure project.

“It’s nice to see traffic coming through again and it looks really good, sharp,” said Luke Basile, a manager at Union Jack Pub.

Basile said customers would often get discouraged by the lack of parking and traffic the construction caused. If not for the World Cup, he said business would have been very slow.

“People have nowhere to park during the interruptions, people had to park far away. So they have to find a way to walk in,” said Stu Xie who manages The Sushi Bar.

With the construction over, Xie is hoping business will get better during the holidays.

Basile said although it was tough to deal with the chaos the construction caused, he believes the long term benefits will be beneficial to the community.

“I feel like over the past decade there’s been quite a bit of money invested in Broad Ripple. You got new condos and apartments. I imagine it will be beneficial in the long run.”