Road Construction Hell in Indiana: A Survival Guide for Indianapol...

Road Construction Hell in Indiana: A Survival Guide for Indianapolis Drivers

Indiana is the Crossroads of America and those crossroads are under construction. All of them. And where do the crossroads lead? Indianapolis. This is why we’re stuck in the seventh circle of eternal road construction hell. I-70 will never be done. Its construction will outlast all of us. I’ll be long gone and INDOT will finally be breaking ground at mile marker 16. There will be a ribbon cutting.

My travels over the last couple of weeks have taken me through some of the more notorious construction zones. I pass along my observations in hopes of inspiring a more prepared and safer driver. Remember to take it nice and easy around the worker. They have families, after all. 

On with it.

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North Side

I don’t think the words “Carmel has it bad” have ever been uttered and I’m not trying to be a trailblazer. The remodel of I-465/U.S. 31 has turned the interchange and the area around it into a tar pit. Southbound U.S. 31 is closed at 106th St. The entrance and exit ramps at SB-31 and 106th are closed. The ramps at I-465 and U.S. 31 are reconfigured. It’s like driving into a chat dump with upscale urban sprawl.

My reroutes:

I spend a half hour every Sunday at Carmel Meijer (also known as Singlemomanapolis) buying out my special oatmeal, then another half hour trying to find access to SB-31 for my return trip to downtown splendor. Once I find access to 31, and find the closure on 31, and then start rerouting around the closure on 31, I can usually make it home in thirty minutes flat. Remember when 31 was remodeled from Westfield down to the Marion county line? I do every time I reroute into the dead end on Old Meridian St. 

Keystone Parkway gets you just about everything. You can go north, south, enter and exit Carmel, and I-465 access. Those heading south from Carmel to central Indy might try College Ave. to Westfield Blvd. You’ll have north Broad Ripple to navigate, but you’ll miss the long light at College and Kessler Blvd.

Or

Spring Mill Rd. is a beautiful drive once you get south of Ditch. Just go slow. There are blind corners and people walking and biking.

North Side Hope:

Much of the aforementioned construction will be done late fall. To the east of Carmel? The redesign of the I-465/I-69 interchange (Clear Path 465)  should be done by the end of the year. I said this last year and maybe the year before, but the opening of new travel lanes on EB-465 and the entrance ramp from Allisonville Rd. earlier in June springs hope. That entrance, mind you, had been closed for four years. Those poor souls in Castleton have been stuck there since 2022. You’re free!

South Side

The barrels dropped on I-65 about the same time Madison Ave. renovation began, thrashing two major commuter routes from Greenwood to the Indy city center. The former involves construction that takes away the left lane on NB-65 at I-465, which to normal people means, “merge right or crash into construction”. To everyone else, floor it and see no evil. I’ve witnessed semis do this, minivans, even cars like mine that barely fit one person inside the cockpit. No one gets hurt because good faring hoosiers slam the breaks to avoid casualty. 

My reroute:

It’s Madison Ave. most of the time. I avoid NB-65 due to the daily breakcheck between Raymond St. and Keystone when approaching the South Split. In the rare case you breeze right in, there’s plenty of Blue Line construction waiting at the end of the Washington St. exit ramp. Winning always means losing when driving in Indianapolis traffic.

South Side Hope:

Both construction projects should be done by the end of the year, and I’ve gotta say, this Madison Ave. remodel is going to be nice for south side drivers when finished. There is a permanent lane reduction which isn’t favorable to drivers, but new sidewalks and a legitimate walking/biking path are a big deal for the residents near the highly travelled corridor, especially when it comes to property value. Besides, we’re getting an additional lane with the I-65 construction, so leave one, take one. 

East Side

When driving Washington St. through Irvington, you get a feel on how the settlers built the railroads. It’s like if Conner Prairie had a drive thru. I look to the left, and there are my ancestors driving railroad spikes into the ground in hopes of building a better tomorrow.

My ancestors did not build the railroads and they’re not laying track in Irvington. This is a construction zone courtesy of the third phase of Indy’s electric bus system, or the blue line, and it has decimated traffic flow. I’ve never had more anxiety trying to drive east in my life. I just wanted to push through and I absolutely adore Irvington. 

My Reroute:

You can never go wrong with E. 10th St. It’s east/west and gets the nod at stop lights that don’t cross against major thoroughfares. 

East Side Hope:

The Irvington portion of Blue Line construction is expected to be finished late next year with the route opening in 2028. In the meantime, support the businesses there if you can. Jockamo’s Pizza is one of the best slices in town. They also have a fortune teller across the street who could never have predicted the neighborhood would be torn to hell for an electric bus.

Downtown

As a downtown local, I’ll try to illustrate what a standard summer weekend drives like around Monument Circle. Last Friday night, Post Malone was performing at Lucas Oil Stadium, Everwise had a progressive rock show, and Pride was kicking off on Mass Ave. Add in the left lane closures on Pennsylvania St. and the hospital restrictions at Capitol and 16th, and you have a healthy little gridlock to navigate before landing in your preferred parking garage. Leaving downtown involves the West St. entrance ramps to I-70, which leads to the aforementioned I-65 construction. The Washington St. entrance to I-65 is pelted with Blue Line construction, which means you’re on a wait list that stretches multiple blocks to the west. 

My reroute:

If you’re looking to expedite your way into and out of downtown, plan ahead and stick to the plan. The impatient can very easily detour into an Ohio St. lane restriction or a one way that’s counterintuitive to their destination. It’ll make you certifiable, like me, who’s lived downtown for fifteen years with a car. 

Downtown Hope:

Nothing immediate. The Blue Line doesn’t open until 2028. Hospital construction may run through 2027. The hotel renovation at Penn. and Washington St. will be finished in the Fall of this year, at which time we should get our left lanes back. The Signia Hotel is expected to open in the late Fall, which will reopen Illinois St. on the south end. That’s huge.