Construction Work Ramps Up In Downtown Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS -- Getting in and out of downtown Indianapolis is about to get a little trickier with the start of Project Open Market.

Thursday, crews started to shut down roads in the main construction area, 6News' Julie Pursley reported.

An Indianapolis Department of Public Works official said by Monday, Southeastern Avenue will be shut down between Shelby Street and East Washington Street.

Shelby Street will also close at Southeastern Avenue, and Daly Street will be shut down from Pine Street to Shelby Street.

The closures are expected to be in place for approximately three months, allowing crews time to install sanitary and storm sewers in the area.

Workers will also reconstruct the intersection of Southeastern Avenue and Washington Street just east of the existing location, making Daly Street a dead-end street, DPW officials said.

Work will also take place along East Washington Street during this time, shifting traffic to the northernmost lanes, with two lanes in each direction. These lane restrictions will affect the area just west of College Avenue to just east of Cruse Street.

"There's a lot of work taking place in a relatively small area here, and it's constantly changing and evolving as we're completing our work," DPW Spokesperson Kit Werbe said.

Some business owners in the area said they're worried the construction could hurt their bottom line.

The nearby Horizon House, a facility that assists the homeless, had to shut its main gate leading to Washington Street because drivers were using it as a detour.

"Most people access our services here on foot, and we see about 200 people a day. It became a real cut-through," Horizon House Executive Director Carter Wolf said. "Not just number of vehicles, but speed; it became a real safety issue."

The general manager of a nearby Hardee's reported a 25 percent drop in sales over the last month. Still, he's optimistic about the changes after the work is over.

"The main downtown traffic flow will come right off this exit, so in the long run it will really benefit Hardee's here," Shawn Fox said.

Project Open Market is part of a larger plan to build Interstate 65 and Interstate 70 ramps at Washington Street. The Washington Street ramp project is expected to wrap up by the end of the year. The Market Street ramp will be torn down next year.