What started six years ago as a group opposed to the recently completed north split reconstruction project is continuing its pitch for a recessed highway system in Indianapolis.
But even with stronger financial backing and support from businesses and neighborhood organizations, the Rethink Coalition still has to sell its vision to the authority with final say: the Indiana Department of Transportation.
Brenda Freije, Rethink’s president and CEO, said she thinks INDOT is taking the group seriously.
That assessment is about to be put to the test.
INDOT is in the middle of a two-year study on the future of interstates in Indianapolis. But rather than being attached to any particular construction, the study — named ProPEL Indy — is “your chance to dream big,” as a promotional video on the website says.
INDOT says the study, which is set to conclude by the spring of 2025, will influence the next 20 years of highway investment.
Rethink is trying to exert influence with a new rendering of a recessed highway. It shows I-65 from the north of downtown with a big roundabout for city streets above.
In an emailed statement, INDOT spokesperson Natalie Garrett said the agency will consider Rethink’s proposal.
“At this phase of the study, all options are being considered,” Garrett said.
Residents can also tell INDOT what they think by filling out a comment form on the ProPEL Indy website.
One portion of the highway noticeably missing from the study is the southern leg of I-65.
Here comes more construction
That’s because INDOT is already planning construction on that stretch of the highway, ranging from I-465 on the south side to just north of Fletcher Avenue.
The goal of the project is to improve pavement and bridge conditions.
But here again, Rethink will find out how much sway it has.
The coalition received a federal grant to study an overlapping portion of INDOT’s project area near Fletcher Place and Fountain Square, where the highway is already recessed.
Rethink’s study will include looking at design alternatives for the Virginia Avenue and Fletcher Avenue bridges that run over the highway. That process is known as capping, which is meant to reconnect neighborhoods around an interstate.
In a report earlier this year, the coalition said it generally supports INDOT’s construction goals of increasing safety and efficiency.
But the coalition also is worried some construction projects related to bridges could impact design elements of the capping study.
One example: Rethink is asking the agency to not widen the bridge over Morris and Prospect streets and instead let the study — and INDOT’s own ProPEL Indy project — inform long-term solutions, including the possibility of depressing the northbound lane under the street.
Garrett said INDOT’s construction won’t impede on Rethink’s study in or near the project area.
“INDOT is in regular communication with the coalition and all plans and input will be considered as development continues,” Garrett said.
In light of the uncertainty, though, Freije said she’s choosing to trust INDOT.
Rethink expects the capping study to be complete by early 2025, right before INDOT plans to start construction.
Beyond the north split
You could be excused for wondering what the Rethink Coalition is still doing following the north split construction project that prompted the group to form in the first place.
That’s how Taylor Hughes sees it, anyway.
Hughes is vice president of policy and strategy at Indy Chamber, which joined the coalition in 2021.
He said it’s a common misconception that the interstate conversation ended with the north split, but that was really only the beginning.
“We’re now playing a more proactive game,” Hughes said.
Along with Indy Chamber, the coalition is now backed by Indiana Landmarks and Central Indiana Community Foundation. Its community partners include the law firm Faegre Drinker, the Indianapolis Zoo, the Nature Conservancy and a host of businesses and neighborhood groups.
Rethink’s recent work stems from a study funded by a grant from Lilly Endowment. The resulting 147-page report analyzes the concept of a recessed highway versus rebuilding parts of the inner loop as is.
It’s a stark contrast from where the coalition was in its earliest days.
But one thing hasn’t changed. Then, like now, Rethink is fighting for attention. Mirror Indy reporter Tyler Fenwick covers economics. Contact him at 317-766-1406 or tyler.fenwick@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @ty_fenwick.
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