$81 million federal grant awarded to the Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation for BRT
CBS4
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced a construction grant award of $81 million to the Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation (IndyGo) for the Purple Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project.
The 15.2-mile Purple Line will operate between downtown Indianapolis and the City of Lawrence and replace and improve much of the existing Route 39 local bus service, one of the highest ridership routes in the IndyGo system.
The total project cost is $162 million, with $81 million in funding provided through FTA’s Capital Investment Grants (CIG) Program. The remaining project costs are being covered by a combination of local funding from the approved transit income tax, the City of Indianapolis Department of Public Works, and other FTA and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) sources.
“FTA is proud to join our partners in Indiana to connect these vibrant cities with Bus Rapid Transit,” said FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez. “The Purple Line BRT will get riders where they need to go — faster, more efficiently, and sustainably.”
IndyGo’s Purple Line is designed to provide frequent, reliable, public transportation to one of the most densely populated, low-income and zero-car households in Central Indiana.
The project includes 9.9 miles of new, exclusive bus lanes, 18 new stations and the purchase of 15 60-foot electric buses and the installation of transit signal priority at 30 signalized intersections along the route.
The service plan includes operation along a 5.3-mile portion of the existing Red Line BRT alignment, with shared use of 13 existing stations.
IndyGo plans to conduct public meetings in January 2022 to discuss detailed construction schedules for the Purple Line. Construction is expected to begin as early as February 2022, with the route set to open for service in July 2024.
IndyGo estimates that construction of the project will create approximately 1,850 jobs.
