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Work is underway on the $21 million first phase of a beautification and renovation project at the entrances to the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
Construction crews in recent weeks began work along Fall Creek Parkway, where a new entry and gate structure—to be known as Gate 9—will be built. Work will also begin later this year on a reconfiguration of Gate 6 off of Fall Creek Parkway to establish a roundabout and improve traffic flow.
Gate 9 will use a slip-lane configuration capturing westbound traffic from Fall Creek Parkway, and allowing vehicles exiting the property to maneuver east to merge onto the road. The gate is being built at the northeast corner of the property with an aim of providing more direct access to the infield parking area.
Gate 6 will remove a small parking area northwest of the Indiana Farm Bureau Fall Creek Pavilion, replacing it with a traffic circle that allows for vehicles to enter the property before being diverted to multiple parking areas, depending on the lot they’re trying to reach. Those exiting the property will merge onto the roundabout before exiting to turn right onto Fall Creek Parkway.
Both projects will feature extensive landscaping improvements and new, more modern gate structures.
“It’s part of the master plan … to provide an easier, safer guest experiences when you’re entering the fairgrounds,” said Cindy Hoye, executive director of the Indiana State Fair Commission. “It’s obviously going to be more welcoming, and we’re going to add some beautification elements to it, but it’s really meant to address ingress and egress, making it far more efficient for the guests that are coming onto the property.”
She said the work is expected to encounter a couple of hurdles over the next several months, including navigating stormwater and tearing out the former Norfolk and Southern railroad lines that run through the Gate 9 area. She said the stormwater will be detained underground for a portion of the project before new piping is installed under Fall Creek Parkway to reach the Fall Creek itself.
The project, approved as part of the state’s biennial budget in 2023, is expected to be followed as soon as next year by an $18 million update to Gates 1 and 3, which serve as the primary entry and livestock entry, respectively. Funding for that phase could come as part of the budget now being put together by lawmakers, although Hoye said those plans have not been finalized.
“I think this kind of work is important as we look to be a good neighbor in our community,” she said. “This is something that we heard from our community partners—that ‘your back of house is our front of house’—so we are really strategically making sure that there is a welcoming environment on the outside of the fences as our community looks at the fairgrounds, too.”
Because the funds for the project are coming from the state’s dedicated capital fund for the fairgrounds, Hoye said ticket prices for the fair or other events on the property will not be adversely affected.
“Ticket prices are not going up this year at the fair,” she said. “These are dedicated funds from the state.”
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