INDIANAPOLIS (May 8, 2017) – Last week, a bipartisan recommendation for a government spending bill included funding for a portion of phase one of the Indianapolis Red Line rapid transit program. As of Friday afternoon, the spending plan passed through both houses of Congress and was signed by President Trump.
“Over the last several months, uncertainty regarding federal support of capital investment has raised concern over the fate of the Red Line,” said Michael Terry, president & CEO of IndyGo. “The final votes in the House and Senate to appropriate $50M to the Red Line will help the project progress on schedule.”
The Red Line is an element of the Marion County Transit Plan, and phase 1 will become the backbone in a more frequent, grid-based network. IndyGo anticipates breaking ground on the Red Line before year’s end with service expected to commence in 2019.
“Often construction timelines for larger infrastructure projects span more than one year,” said Justin Stuehrenberg, IndyGo’s vice president of capital projects and planning. “The strategy of splitting a project’s full funding between two fiscal years helps keep more projects in the FTA pipeline moving.”
This summer, IndyGo will host several public outreach activities about the Red Line and implementation of the larger Marion County Transit Plan.
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