The Indianapolis Department of Public Works (Indy DPW) expects to close East Market Street between Delaware Street and Alabama Street on Tuesday, Sept. 8, to begin work on $7.4 million street and pedestrian infrastructure improvement project. Traffic and parking restrictions along adjacent street intersections are expected to be in place through early November.
East Market Street will be closed between Delaware and Alabama streets for the duration of the project, which is expected to be complete in late 2021.
The Original Farmers Market at the Indianapolis City Market will continued to be held on the southeast quadrant of Monument Circle through Oct. 28. The Farmers Market has been staged on the Circle all summer, because of preparatory work which had been scheduled to precede the East Market Street project.
Beginning Tuesday, southbound traffic on Alabama Street and northbound traffic on Delaware Street will remain open but traffic lanes will shift to accommodate construction. Traffic traveling east- and westbound on Market Street will be diverted to Ohio Street during the closure.
Parking on the west side of Delaware Street will be restricted as the parking lane is repurposed for traffic during construction. Parking on the east side of Delaware Street will be restricted from south of Market Street through the project limits. On Alabama Street, the far west parking and west through lane will be restricted.
When complete, a newly renovated East Market Street will feature safety and accessibility measures for pedestrians between the City-County Building and the City Market. The design includes a raised pedestrian crossing between the two buildings, curb bump-outs to condense motorized traffic lanes, additional vehicle parking, visitor drop-off spaces and bicycle parking. Other improvements feature a landscaped pedestrian promenade and veranda using a paver system similar to the current layout.
Construction on East Market Street is part of a larger effort by DPW to improve street and pedestrian infrastructure for Monument Circle and the extending spokes along Market and Meridian streets. This first phase of reconstruction represents an investment of more than $7 million in the improvement of the Market East downtown district when complete in late 2021. For more information, visit indy.gov/DPW.
ARTWORK ABOVE: An artist’s rendering of the new configuration coming to the block of East Market Street between the City Market and the City-County Building (right).
