INDIANAPOLIS— The construction of IndyGo's rapid transit Purple Line is well underway on the city's Northeast side and residents and nearby businesses say its causing disruption.
Driving down 38th Street, orange barrels and several places where the road is torn up is in view.
IndyGo says it is about halfway through the infrastructure improvements of the Purple Line.
Once complete, the Purple Line will connect downtown Indianapolis to the City of Lawrence.
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It will run from the transit center in downtown Indianapolis to the Fort Ben and Ivy Tech area in Lawrence.
Some residents say the construction makes it hard to get to their homes.
Other say the construction has impacted business.
"Traffic coming in, they're going to have to go down a few blocks, bust a u-turn and come back in. Nobody wants to do that. The other option is to go through the alley and nobody wants to cut through an alley to get to a business," Junior Hugias said.
Hugias co-owns the Phyer Smoke Shop at 38th and Keystone.
He says business has been impacted dramatically due to the construction.
"People up until today telling us we didn't even know you guys were here. The construction is slowing us down from getting here and stuff," Hugias said.
38th street closed for construction right after Phyer Smoke Shop opened.
Since then, Hugias says they've done what they can to keep business running.
Some neighbors feel excitement for the bus line addition, and are hopeful the construction headache will be worth it.
"I just stay positive. I drive every day pretty much. It can be a headache but just take your time and stay positive," Paul Jones said.
Even so, Hugias said it's hard to navigate the area.
"This whole neighborhood is filled with homes too. So getting around for people that have been living here for years, it's impacting them. They have to rearrange and figure out another way to get to where they have to go," Hugias said.
Until the construction is done, Hugias says the shop will do what they can to prevent it from tanking their business.
If you have a concern with construction or if it's impacting you in a negative way, IndyGo says you can voice your opinion about it.
We have a team of people who are dedicated to mitigating these issues and ensuring that residents, business owners, etc. have the access they need during construction.
IndyGo asks you to reach out to them directly.
