INDIANAPOLIS — IndyGo has announced that key portions of Washington Street will be closed beginning Tuesday, September 2, as work advances on the Blue Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, a $520 million initiative that will overhaul one of Indianapolis’ busiest transit corridors.
The first closure will stretch from Belmont Avenue to Harding Street and is expected to last about six months. According to IndyGo, one eastbound lane will remain open to ensure residents and businesses retain local access, while westbound traffic will be rerouted. The extended closure is required for crews to install new storm sewer trunk lines, a critical piece of the project’s infrastructure upgrades.
The second closure will occur at Washington Street and Sherman Drive. That full intersection closure will last two weeks while Citizens Energy Group relocates utilities to make way for Blue Line construction.
Both closures are set to begin on or after September 2.
The Blue Line, which will run 24 miles from Indianapolis International Airport through downtown to the Town of Cumberland, is designed to provide faster, more reliable transit options for residents and visitors. When completed in 2028, it will be IndyGo’s third BRT line, following the Red and Purple Lines.
The project will also deliver long-term infrastructure improvements along Washington Street, including full road reconstruction, new sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, ADA-compliant curb ramps, and updated traffic signals. IndyGo says these upgrades are meant to improve safety and accessibility while modernizing one of the city’s oldest transit corridors.
To help motorists and bus riders navigate the closures, IndyGo has laid out detour routes:
• Westbound motorists will use Harding Street, I-70, and Holt Road
• Route 8 buses will reroute via North White River Parkway, Michigan Street, and Belmont Avenue
• Westbound bus stops between Belmont Avenue and Harding Street will be closed, with temporary stops at Washington & Harding and Washington & Belmont
• Westbound traffic will divert at Emerson Avenue
• Eastbound drivers will detour at Southeastern Avenue
• Route 8 will detour via Ewing Street, Sherman Drive, English Avenue, and Emerson Avenue
• Route 26 will detour via Ewing Street and Sherman Drive
• Temporary stops will be placed at Gale & Washington and Julian & Emerson
IndyGo is encouraging travelers to plan ahead and allow extra time for their commutes. The agency continues to provide updates through its Blue Line newsletter and weekly virtual office hours for community members who want to track progress and ask questions directly.
Transit officials emphasize that while the closures will be disruptive in the short term, the Blue Line will be transformative for Indianapolis once complete. “The Blue Line is designed to connect people with jobs, education, healthcare, and other essential services,” said IndyGo leaders. “These temporary closures are a necessary step toward delivering a safer, faster, and more accessible transit system for our city.”
By 2028, the Blue Line is expected to significantly reduce travel times between the airport and downtown, ease congestion along Washington Street, and provide a more sustainable alternative to driving—supporting IndyGo’s broader vision of a more connected Indianapolis.
Originally reported by WRTV.
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