INDIANAPOLIS — IndyGo is reimagining transportation along Delaware Street downtown with the creation of new bus stops Called Super Stops.
"The Super Stops themselves will be 90-foot long platforms to accommodate 2 buses at a time, 9 inches high to make getting on and off the bus easier," said Austin Gibble.
The Super Stop concept is based on Chicago's Loop Link with a mix of ideas and lessons learned from IndyGo's Red Line. Delaware Street is being completely torn apart and rebuilt, and when the reconstruction is complete two Super Stops will sit at Delaware and New York Streets and Delaware and North Streets, while part of Fort Wayne Avenue is converted from a one-way to a two-way street.
Austin Gibble is the project manager for IndyGo. He says there's too much traffic, and a redesign will be better for all vehicles that share the congested road. "Traffic trying to weave in and out of that right hand lane to get around buses because they're there a lot. It's just a slow and unpleasant experience to ride the bus on those streets because its so busy," Gibble said.
The project will also bring those familiar red-painted bus only lanes to Delaware Street, while still allowing traffic to turn right. One Super Stop will eliminate a handful of parking spaces, while the other will take up space once used by the electric Blue Indy cars.
"In terms of creating a more seamless experience with flow, I think the experience of Super Stops is going to greatly increase my bus experience going through downtown," said Jeffery Tompkins.
Tompkins is an avid bus rider. In fact, he takes buses every chance he gets. He says since moving to Indianapolis from transit-rich Northwest Indiana in 2011, he's already noticed a vast improvement in the city's bus system, which is a deciding factor in where he lives and works. "Just in terms of that small amount of time that's past it's been a huge increase in quality of life because that access to bus is there," said Tompkins.
Construction on Delaware Street and the Super Stops is set to start early next year.The $3 million project should be done by the end of 2021.
