Indy Connect RED Line Rapid Transit Plan

Rapid Transit lines are designed to build upon the local bus service in key, heavily traveled corridors. The Red Rapid Transit Line is under detailed study. Running from Carmel through downtown Indianapolis to Greenwood, serving key destinations such as:

  • Nora
  • Broad Ripple
  • Meridian-Kessler
  • Ivy Tech
  • Eli Lilly and Company

Indy Connect completed a more detailed study of the Red Rapid Transit Line in 2013 and will continue to move the line through Project Development and Preliminary Engineering Phase in 2015. This continues to prepare the region to apply for Federal funding to construct the project through the Federal Transit Administration at the appropriate time. Bus Rapid Transit is the recommended vehicle type for the Red Line.

The Red Line is 25 miles long and extends from Westfield in the North, through Downtown, to Greenwood in the South. It connects to key destinations including Carmel, Nora, Broad Ripple, Butler, the Children’s Museum, the IU Health Hospital Complex, Eli Lilly, and the University of Indianapolis.  The corridor connects some of the fastest growing population and employment centers in the region and serves one of the key commuting corridors.

Three Nora stations are recommended in the plan, preliminarily located at College and Marott Park, 86th and College, and 96th and College. Recommended station locations reflect a strength for future development potential, as well as highest demand for service, based on the amount of residential, employment, attraction, educational, or health facilities located within 1/4-1/2 mile of the identified intersections.

In addition, preliminary station design concepts have been created to help the community visualize how a potential station may function in certain areas.  The stations are intended to include sustainable, durable materials; have modular components to enable growth for special events or over time as demand increases; include amenities like seating, paying for your ticket at the station instead of on the vehicle, and real-time arrival information among others; and would vary in size to fit the context of the station area.

See the IndyConnect website for more information about the Red Line progress.

Northtown Trail Plan

The Northtown Trail is a proposed east-west greenway connection of the Indy Full Circle Greenways Plan. It completes the east-west connection between Fort Harrison State Park and Eagle Creek Park. Along its route, it connects to many neighborhood and community parks, greenways, residential centers, and commercial nodes. It also opens up new recreational access to the White River. Its central section would cross the southern portion of Nora, and includes a proposed trailhead at 75th Street at its intersection with the Monon Trail.

Although the Northtown Trail is new to the greenways master plan, the route had previously been identified in the Indianapolis Bikeways Master Plan as an east-west connection across the north side of the city. Bike lanes are already in place across the entire length and several small sections of sidepaths are either already in place or in the planning process. This plan elevates the design of these sidepaths to the greenways design standard.

Indy Full Circle Greenways Plan

Indy Parks and the Department of Public Works have released the approved Indy Greenways Full Circle Plan.  The master plan is the result of a year-long planning process that included extensive public engagement and input.  It outlines the long-term, comprehensive vision for trail and greenway development in the City.

82nd/86th St Commercial Connector Plan

Indianapolis is in the midst of a revolution in terms of constructing new pedestrian and bicycle facilities, whether they be sidewalks, bike lanes, or sidepaths. There is even a separate Bikeways Master Plan that identifies the long-term vision for providing greater connectivity for the entire city.

The strength of this plan is that it ties the greenway system into that larger system and in the end, this plan is intended to accept and connect to all of those different types of “connections.” During the master planning process, it was determined that a connection to the major commercial centers in the city was desired. One major commercial corridor is the 82nd Street/86th Street corridor extending east and west through Nora.

From the Keystone Fashion Mall, the proposed route crosses 86th Street at the western off ramp of Keystone Avenue and then follows the south side of the street another mile west to the Monon Trail. In this section of the route, the trail passes through residential areas and connects to North Central High School. At the Monon Trail, the route again crosses 86th Street and follows the north side of the street for 6.75 miles, passing several additional commercial centers and neighborhoods continuing to the Traders Point commercial center.

The 82nd/86th Street Commercial Connector provides an opportunity for the greenways to provide pedestrian and bicycle connections to several major commercial areas in the city. Its implementation would provide a unique type of experience in the city. This route is in the very early stages of conceptual development and will need additional study to determine the exact alignment and more detail on how this greenway is incorporated into this high-vehicular volume corridor in the safest manner possible.

Indy Full Circle Greenways Plan

Indy Parks and the Department of Public Works have released the approved Indy Greenways Full Circle Plan.  The master plan is the result of a year-long planning process that included extensive public engagement and input.  It outlines the long-term, comprehensive vision for trail and greenway development in the City.