INDIANAPOLIS — It’s going to cost $14 million to repair the wear and tear that happened on streets and sidewalks during the North Split construction project.
A few residents in the area say it’s frustrating to see even more construction coming to the roads they drive on each day.
“It’s frustrating because there’s going to be more construction and more traffic and things like that,” Jacob Wise, an Indianapolis resident, said.
“It pretty much feels like no matter where you go, there are limited options to get around,” Sean Hise, an Indianapolis resident, said.
Jacob Wise and Sean Hise both live and work near the North Split and both experienced plenty of construction and closures.
“They just basically worked on the interstate and now they start closing down local access, and you are like, okay, now we have another issue and another timeline to wait on,” Hise said.
This week, INDOT announced it’s spending $14 million to resurface streets and repair sidewalks that were damaged during the construction.
“Part of the North Split project is leaving the project area and the surrounding communities better than we found them,” Natalie Garrett, the strategic communications director with INDOT, said.
INDOT said it knew from the beginning that the repairs would be needed. However, it wasn’t included in the North Split budget. INDOT said it needed to see the scope of the damages before knowing the cost.
“I think these are areas that saw more traffic or increased traffic during the closures,” Garrett said. “More traffic equals more wear [and tear] in a lot of cases.”
The $14 million will come from INDOT’s capital program budget and officials say that won’t impact any other projects included in that budget.
In the meantime, neighbors just hope the construction will be over quickly and leave them with safer roads.
“Anytime there’s infrastructure improvements it’s a good thing,” Wise said. “It’s frustrating for drivers, pedestrians, and bikers, but you know, in general I think it is going to be a good thing.”
Construction will begin this summer and will continue through the 2024 construction season. For specific locations throughout Indianapolis that will see these improvements, click here.