Indy to make Monument Circle, Georgia Street more pedestrian friendly

Indianapolis Star
Updated ·3 min read

The city of Indianapolis announced Wednesday it will temporarily close part of Monument Circle to cars and redevelop Georgia Street to make the space partially car-free.

The plans to create more pedestrian-friendly public spaces are part of a broader effort from the city to make downtown more resident-friendly after the pandemic shifted many employees to work from home.

"If downtown Indy is a great place to live, it will naturally be a great place to work and a great place to play," Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said at a news conference.

Here's what you need to know:

Monument Circle

The southwest quadrant of Monument Circle in front of Emmis Communications and South Bend Chocolate Co. will be closed from July 8 to Nov. 2 as part of Big Car Collective's Spark on the Circle event.

The closure will make way for a pop-up green space with public art, workspaces, live music, food and beverages. There will also be two new shipping-container restrooms located on the west Market Street curb, similar to the ones in the old City Hall parking lot.

The west Market street circle entrance will be closed to cars. The north and south Meridian entrances, as well as the east Market Street entrance, will remain open.

The city will close the southwest part of Monument Circle to make room for a pop-up green space with seating, public art and more.
The city will close the southwest part of Monument Circle to make room for a pop-up green space with seating, public art and more.

Transit advocates have long called for making Monument Circle a permanently car-free space. Closing the circle to cars for good is not currently on the table, DMD Director Rusty Carr said, but could be in the future depending on how this summer's closure goes.

"It is a pilot," he said. "It is an experiment and we're learning and we'll see where that takes us in the future."

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Georgia Street

The city is also seeking $1.2 million for a multiphase redevelopment of Georgia Street in partnership with the Capital Improvement Board, aiming to make the corridor a more pedestrian-friendly public space with landscaping, seating and outdoor space for businesses.

The announcement comes after the City-County Council on Monday approved $625 million in financing for the $510 million Signia by Hilton hotel in connection with the expansion of the Indiana Convention Center on the Pan Am Plaza south of Georgia Street. The hope is that increased convention and hotel business will bring more people to Georgia Street.

The city of Indianapolis is planning to develop Georgia Street as a partially car-free space.
The city of Indianapolis is planning to develop Georgia Street as a partially car-free space.

The west block of Georgia Street, from Capitol to Illinois, will be redeveloped as a pedestrian-only space minus the possibility for a one-lane service drop off lane, Carr said.

Later phases will include redoing the section of Georgia Street from Illinois to Pennsylvania streets, which will remain open to traffic but redeveloped with wider sidewalks and more space for businesses.

The Metropolitan Development Commission will hear the city's request for funding to redevelop Georgia Street June 7. The earliest construction on the west block of Georgia Street would begin is late 2024 to early 2025, Carr said.

Contact the reporter at 317-617-3402.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indy to make Monument Circle, Georgia Street more pedestrian friendly