INDIANAPOLIS — In hopes of reducing speeding and other traffic hazards, the Department of Public Works is planning to turn eight one-way streets into two-way thoroughfares.
“Indianapolis has already instituted several two-way conversions in downtown neighborhoods, and this effort will be the most significant yet. And that is great news for people who love a safer, more welcoming Indianapolis," Mayor Joe Hogsett said in a statement.
Officials say the change will improve safety on these streets. One-way streets tend to have higher speeds, while traffic on two-way streets tends to be slower, according to the Federal Highway Administration.
“This adjustment to the traffic pattern can restore a sense of being in a neighborhood for families living along busy thoroughfares," Hogsett said. "It can make the difference in whether parents consider a sidewalk safe enough for kids. In short: these streets can be places, not just pass-throughs.”
The streets slated to become two-ways are:
- Capitol Avenue from 21st to 38th streets;
- lllinois Street from 21st to 38th streets;
- Pennsylvania Street from I-65N to Fall Creek Parkway S Drive;
- Delaware Street from I-65N to Fall Creek Parkway S Drive;
- Alabama Street from Washington Street to Michigan Street;
- New Jersey Street from Washington Street to Michigan Street;
- East Street from Washington Street to 10th Street; and
- College Avenue from Virginia Avenue to Market Street.
The money to improve these and other streets will come thanks in part to a $25 million federal grant, Hogsett and U.S. Rep Andre Carson announcedin June.
"This significant amount of funding will pay off for everyone — pedestrians, bikers, drivers, and the surrounding neighborhoods will benefit," Carson said in a statement.
In addition to the grant, Indianapolis is chipping in more than $20 million of the project's total cost of $46.5 million.
The money will also fund more road repairs and improvements from 38th Street to I-70 and includes 16 intersection improvements, two new traffic signals, 12 signal modifications, 49 lane miles of resurfacing, two-miles of multi-use paths, more than 300 curb ramp improvements, 3.5-miles of sidewalk improvements, and 5.5-lane miles of bike lane resurfacing.
Indianapolis is already planning to covert sections of Michigan and New York streets from one-way to two-way roads. That $11 million began this spring.
More: DPW expected to convert a portion of Michigan and New York Streets from a one-way to a two-way
