The Blue Line Rebuilds Washington Street
IndyGo’s Board of Directors awarded almost $250 million in construction contracts for the Blue Line on December 19, 2024. The line runs 24 miles from Indianapolis International Airport to the Town of Cumberland by way of downtown, along I-70, Holt Road and Washington Street. It is IndyGo’s third bus rapid transit line.
The Red Line entered service on September 1, 2019 across 13.1 miles and 28 stations. The Purple Line opened on October 13, 2024 across 15.2 miles and 31 stations between downtown and Lawrence.
The project page sets the sequence. Design finished in September 2024. Groundbreaking came in February 2025. Construction began in the second quarter of 2025. Service starts in late 2028.
What the Work Does to a Daytime Window
A hotel that sells rooms by the hour or by the daytime window sells the street in front of it. The Blue Line rebuilds that street for four years. IndyGo states that construction impacts run between 2025 and 2028 and that the work takes place in phases across 12 construction areas. More than half the budget addresses the condition of the roadway, pedestrian facilities and stormwater drainage.
The published infrastructure counts are 63 new or upgraded traffic signals, 2.3 miles of new or refreshed crosswalks, 9.7 miles of new or replaced sidewalk, 359 new or upgraded ADA curb ramps and 46.5 lane miles of resurfacing.
The Live Segments on the Hotel Blocks
IndyGo’s construction page was updated in September 2026 and carries the current segment list.
Lane closures are in place on Maryland and Washington streets from West Street to Capitol Avenue. Those closures cover curb ramps, pedestrian improvements and station construction. A minimum of one lane stays open in each direction.
Two station sites sit on hotel blocks. Statehouse Station is under construction at Washington Street and Capitol Avenue. Convention Center Station is under construction at Maryland Street and Capitol Avenue.
Washington Street between Belmont Avenue and the White River Bridge carries one lane each way. Westbound traffic loses access between Rockville Road and Belmont Avenue from on or after September 14, 2026. The detour runs north on White River Parkway, west on Michigan Street and south on Holt Road. Eastbound access holds in a single lane.
East of downtown, Washington Street is closed to eastbound traffic from Southeastern Avenue to State Avenue. A second closure runs from State Avenue to Emerson Avenue for storm and sanitary sewer work. A third begins on or after November 1, 2026 between Emerson and Ritter avenues and runs about 160 days. Construction stops in Irvington from October 1 to October 31 between Ritter Avenue and Ridgeview Drive.
IndyGo states that it announces each closure one to three weeks ahead by weekly email. Local access to homes and businesses stays open through the work. Deaon Smith and Alexis Craft serve as neighborhood liaisons during business hours. Clarence Underwood holds the construction community outreach coordinator role.
Service Hours and Station Access
Thirty stations sit at half-mile to one-mile spacing. Every station on the project serves this route alone. Service runs Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m., Saturday from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. A bus arrives at each station every 15 to 20 minutes at peak.
Washington Street carries the Hyatt Regency Indianapolis at 101 W. Washington Street, Embassy Suites by Hilton Indianapolis Downtown at 110 W. Washington Street, The Westin Indianapolis at 241 W. Washington Street, Courtyard Indianapolis Downtown and SpringHill Suites Indianapolis Downtown at 601 W. Washington Street, Fairfield Inn & Suites Indianapolis Downtown at 501 W. Washington Street, Hotel Indy at 141 E. Washington Street, La Quinta Inn & Suites at 401 E. Washington Street and Atlas Hotel at 433 E. Washington Street. Marriott Indianapolis Downtown sits at 350 W. Maryland Street.
Visit Indy writes that the line will make it easier for visitors to travel between the airport and downtown. IndyGo states that the permanence of bus rapid transit infrastructure along a corridor supports increased private investment.
What the Record Does Not Carry
No publisher in the record attaches a room-night, occupancy, average-rate or RevPAR figure to the Blue Line. No published document assigns a month inside 2028, an end-to-end airport running time or a group fare.
A daytime operator selling hours along the corridor has no published figure to price against. Ask IndyGo for the opening month and the running time. Track the weekly segment notices against the arrival calendar.