Construction on IndyGo’s Purple Line through Lawrence has begun. IndyGo’s Purple Line will travel 15.2 miles from downtown Indianapolis to Ivy Tech in Lawrence.
Roadway and pedestrian improvements started March 21 near Otis Avenue. Closures will last 30 days on Otis Avenue between Post Road and Wheeler Avenue. Traffic will be detoured via Post Road, 56th Street and Lawrence Village Parkway.
Beginning on or after April 11, sanitary sewer rehabilitation will close a southbound single lane for two weeks on Post Road between CSX Railroad and Pendleton Pike. According to IndyGo’s website, after work is complete on Otis Avenue between Post Road and Wheeler Avenue, Wheeler Avenue between Otis Avenue and Hawkins Road will be closed for 30 days for roadway and pedestrian improvements.
Overall Purple Line construction is expected to be complete in 2024, but the Lawrence portion will be complete in July. Buses will not run until all construction is complete.
City of Lawrence Director of Engineering Sri Venugopalan said the Purple Line will connect downtown Indianapolis to the Lawrence community. An IndyGo bus makes trips to Lawrence,but waiting for the bus can take up to an hour. When the Purple Line is complete, passenger will only wait 10 to 15 minutes between bus times.
“It’ll connect the downtown Ivy Tech college on Meridian and 38th (streets0 to the Ivy Tech campus in Lawrence,” Venugopalan said. “This would be a good thing for students who take classes in Lawrence to be able to go downtown to another class and come back. That is a good connectivity they will have.”
Venugopalan said many low-income residents live near the 38th Street corridor and don’t have other modes of transportation, meaning they often wait a long time for the IndyGo bus to reach Lawrence.
“Now, with the Purple Line, it will be more frequent and a lot of those people can benefit out of having a high-frequency bus line,” Venugopalan said.
The Purple Line fare will be $1.75 for a single trip, which is the same fare for IndyGo buses. Day passes and trip passes will also be available, and there will be a free transfer between the Red and Purple Line.
An information talk about the Purple Line is scheduled for 9 a.m. April 29 at Laundry & More in Lawrence, 4212 N. Post Rd.
For more, visit indygo.net/purple-line/purple-line-project-details/.
