IndyGo, Indianapolis's bus system, has been planning changes for more than 10 years, and now is ready to start implementing them.
The system is going to prepare a grant application for $50m, which it will submit to the federal government, requesting funds to help it create a bus rapid transit system, including express, bus-only lanes.
The money from this grant, if won, would pay for the engineering work on the first phase of the proposed Red Line, which runs a total of 35 miles through the center of the city, from Greenwood to Westfield. Phase 1, which is 14 miles long, goes from the University of Indianapolis to Broad Ripple Avenue. City officials believe the grant is likely to win approval, since Anthony Foxx, the U.S. Transportation Secretary, has visited the city and encouraged IndyGo to apply for assistance.
Among other amenities, Phase I will have 27 stops located approximately one-half mile apart. Some of the stops will be in dedicated bus lanes. The buses themselves will be 60-foot-long, accordion-type electric vehicles. Station platforms will be elevated to about 18 inches, to make them level with the bus doors, which would enable passengers to board quickly. The new buses will run about every 10 minutes, 20 hours per day.
City officials could work with brochure printers to create a mailer for residents, describing the project and including a sample schedule.
