The City of Indianapolis Department of Public Works (DPW) Indy Neighborhood Infrastructure Partnership (INIP) has awarded the Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation (IndyGo) Foundation $500,000 in cost sharing funds to provide infrastructure improvements to bus stops on the city’s near eastside.
The $500,000 cost share with INIP from this year will allow IndyGo and the IndyGo Foundation to complete construction on a project that has been years in the making. The improvement area borders include Central and Arlington avenues and 10th and 38th streets. These neighborhoods will benefit from the project through gaining improved access to 91 upgraded Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible bus stops. The first phase of stops will be constructed in 2025 and the second phase in 2026. This project was made possible through a public/private partnership combining federal funds, the DPW cost share and private funds from IU Health, IU Health Foundation and IndyGo Foundation donors.
Bus stop upgrades include adding sidewalk connections, boarding areas and curb ramps that will connect the stops to local streets or driveways.
The stops that will be improved were selected based off a comprehensive plan from IndyGo for bus stop accessibility improvements and data that showed high concentrations of minority populations and households below the poverty line.
“Improving connection to life’s essential services means ensuring IndyGo’s bus stops are accessible by every individual,” said IndyGo Foundation Executive Director Emily Meaux. “Upgrades like these are necessary to help provide increased mobility solutions, equitable access and opportunity for riders to share in a growing economy and healthier city, all of which the IndyGo Foundation strives to expand.”
The INIP projects chosen for 2024 total nearly $2.5 million in investment in Indianapolis’ infrastructure. Since the inception of the program in 2018, the city has invested $9.5 million into more than 60 projects across Marion County.