After nearly two years of construction, the commute through the west side will soon be a little easier.
The Department of Public Works announced the West Washington Street Bridge over Little Eagle Creek will be open to traffic by the end of Tuesday, Nov. 18 — weather permitting.
“This took longer than any of us hoped, but by taking the time to do it right — not the fast way, but the right way — we’ve ensured this bridge will serve the community safely for decades to come,” said DPW director Todd Wilson.
Once the bridge reopens, drivers will be able to skip the 2.5-mile detour around the bridge. The detour has limited access to businesses on a strip of West Washington Street east of the construction site, including Joe’s Auto Sales.
Get the backstory
George Krier, the dealership’s manager, said he was excited about the bridge’s opening.
“That’s probably the best looking bridge I’ve ever seen,” he said.
A series of delays
Bridge construction began in March 2024 as an effort to rehabilitate the historic bridge and was only expected to take about six months to complete.
Once construction began, DPW crews found that the bridge was less structurally sound than initially believed, causing more work for DPW that pushed back construction completion until summer 2025.
Additional inspections this January found that over 70% of the arch and spandrel walls, which help keep the bridge stable, were severely deteriorated and could not be saved.
DPW then decided that, for safety reasons, it had to build the bridge from scratch rather than save what was there. That doubled the project price from $2.5 million to about $5 million.
More projects ahead
Although bridge construction will open up travel through West Washington Street, the street will still see traffic disruptions due to IndyGo Blue Line construction.
The West Washington Bridge over Little Eagle Creek is only one of several bridge projects throughout the westside.
According to Indianapolis Chief Deputy Mayor Dan Parker, the 30th Street Bridge over the White River in the Riverside neighborhood is expected to be open to one-way traffic and pedestrians in the coming months.
In West Indianapolis, the Henry Street Bridge is expected to be completed next year.
And the rehabilitation of the 16th Street Bridge will begin next year and continue until the last quarter of 2027.
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Mirror Indy reporter Enrique Saenz covers west Indianapolis. Contact him at 317-983-4203 or enrique.saenz@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on Bluesky at @enriquesaenz.bsky.social.
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