FTA today announced a grant award of $149.9 million to the Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation (IndyGo) to help fund construction of the Blue Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in Central Indiana. The 24-mile BRT line will provide fast and frequent public transportation along one of Marion County, Indiana’s main east-west travel corridors. The corridor serves over 28 million visitors for conventions, meetings, and events and supports approximately 150,000 jobs. 

The project includes 12 miles of dedicated bus-only lanes in the urban core, helping speed riders on their way. The corridor encompasses some of the region’s largest trip generators, including downtown Indianapolis, the State Capitol, the airport, and the Indianapolis Zoo. The Blue Line will also stop at three high schools and several planned redevelopment areas. 

The project includes 60-foot hybrid buses, helping improve air quality. With more than 45,000 people within walking distance of a station in the corridor, service will operate 20 hours per weekday, with frequent service. 

WHAT IS THE BLUE LINE?

BUS LINE CONTROVERSY

The dedicated bus lanes for the completed Red Line and the 78% completed Purple Line, on top of the dangerous dedicated bike lanes, have created massive traffic headaches for vehicular traffic by taking up an already short supply of traffic lanes, especially in downtown Indianapolis. And maybe that’s one of their goals under the misguided guise of “climate change” practices?

While some in Indianapolis would like a better public transportation system, ourselves included, dedicated bus lanes aren’t the answer, especially when the powers that be have repeatedly shot down the idea of light rail that necessitates dedicated infrastructure. Busses do not need their own lanes, so someone needs to explain their expensive creation with a valid argument. We’ll be waiting.

Truth be told, Indianapolis is a commuter city. We like our cars in Indy.

Onto other issues within the community, over the past decade, the eastside community of Irvington raised funds to create streetscapes on Washington Street. Those streetscapes now face potential demolition to make way for the Blue Line. Residents and donors are furious, and who can blame them?

Additionally, IndyGo rolled out electric buses a few years ago that can’t seem to stay charged during colder weather and have to stop in the middle of their routes for a semi-charge to finish out the route. This is completely shortsighted but is on par with the overall administration of Indianapolis. We don’t tend to elect or hire the sharpest tools in the shed around here. We’ll sit back and watch this unfold with the rest of the community. Hopefully, they prove us wrong for a change.

SOURCES: Federal Transit Administration and IndyGo

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