Republicans expressed concerns about IndyGo’s recent revelations that the cost of the Blue Line is now projected to go $300 million over its initial price tag, mostly due to the cost of connecting to Citizens Energy Group’s sewer system on Washington Street.
IndyGo is also considering whether to move the western-most segment of the Blue Line off Washington Street and onto Interstate 70, a move that would save money and appease lawmakers who have been critical of adding dedicated bus lanes to Washington Street.
But there’s still a lot of work to do. Building of passenger stations has yet to begin; all progress so far has laid the groundwork for future construction.
The funding is part of a $1.6 billion U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration effort supporting cleaner buses. IndyGo was one of just nine agencies nationally chosen to receive more than $30 million from the program.
Eight new episodes of “Music in Transit” will promote the under-construction Purple Line as well as Indiana musicians.
New York City-based Via Transportation Inc., which last year pulled out of the ride-hailing industry to focus on public transportation services, will lead the program.
Agencies are expected to use the money to prop up day-to-day operations, including staffing and payroll as well as cleaning and sanitization to limit the spread of illness in public transportation.
Nearly 70% of the total cost is set aside for infrastructure improvements, including sidewalks and stormwater drainage.
The House Ways and Means Committee on Monday tabled an amendment that would have conditioned the removal of some public transportation funding requirements on compliance with new lane minimums—which would’ve involved budget-busting redesign and land acquisition over several miles of the proposed 24-mile route.
Construction on the $188 million Purple Line is expected to begin in early 2022. The route will extend from downtown Indianapolis to Lawrence.
Indianapolis is moving ahead with the next two legs of its massive bus rapid transit project, after a messy legislative session and pandemic-related problems threw a wrench in the timeline.
IndyGo announced in September that it would cut bus frequencies on 15 routes, effective Oct. 10, in a decision driven by its workforce and ridership numbers.
Participants will receive a 31-day IndyGo paper pass at the clinic immediately following their COVID-19 vaccination.
The Purple Line will run along 38th Street, upgrading a traditional bus route that IndyGo says is among its most ridden and most profitable, and connecting downtown Indianapolis to Lawrence.
Earlier this month, the Democrat-controlled City-County Council voted 20-5 for new development standards that add residential and mixed-use districts to push bus usage, walkability and density county-wide.
When IndyGo’s goal of an all-electric bus fleet by 2035 hit a major obstacle, the agency detoured, ordering 27 hybrid buses that are powered with both electricity and diesel.
The IndyGo transit system will not have to pay millions of dollars for companies to relocate utility services to make way for new rapid bus lines. That’s because the state senator who proposed the requirement dropped it.
A Republican senator won initial approval this week for an amendment that would require IndyGo to pay public utilities to relocate utility services to make way for new transit lines, a move that Democrats say goes against standard practice.
Rep. Jim Pressel, who chairs the House Roads and Transportation Committee, will not schedule the measure for a vote by Thursday’s deadline, his spokesman said Wednesday, effectively killing the bill, which has already passed the Senate.
IndyGo has long struggled to improve its Open Door service for riders with disabilities. It’s launching a series of public meetings this week to solicit ideas from the public.
