(INDIANAPOLIS) – Legislators have said no to another attempt to reroute the IndyGo bus system — at least for now.
The Blue Line is supposed to be the east-west sequel to the north-south Red Line, with service from the airport through downtown to Indy’s eastside. IndyGo president Inez Evans says she’s been talking with legislators about altering the design to accommodate traffic on a two-mile portion of the route just before it reaches the airport.
But Evans says an amendment introduced by Noblesville Representative Chuck Goodrich (R) would have required IndyGo to maintain two lanes of traffic not just on that westside stretch, but all of Washington Street. She says that would require the bus system to purchase and demolish more properties along the route, and says the purchasing costs would kill the project.
House Ways and Means Chairman Tim Brown (R-Crawfordsville) says the amendment was worded incorrectly. The committee made two attempts to fix the wording on the fly before killing the amendment on a voice vote. The proposal could still be resubmitted on the House floor.
Indianapolis Representative Bob Behning (R) says Indianapolis only has a few major east-west corridors, and warns without a redesign, the Blue Line will force more traffic onto I-70, which in turn will drive up INDOT costs.
Goodrich’s amendment would repeal a requirement that IndyGo raise at least 10% of its operating costs through a source other than taxes and fares if the bus system adopts the redesign. The funding provision prompted a fierce battle last year between IndyGo and opponents of the Blue Line over whether federal funding satisfies that requirement.
