Indianapolis, IN

IndyGo receives $150M grant for Blue Line

Published

1 year ago

January 8, 2025

INDIANAPOLIS — Many Hoosiers rely on IndyGo buses to get to different points around the Indianapolis Metropolitan area.

Thanks to funding from a new grant, the bus system will potentially connect people in the town of Cumberland over to the Indianapolis International Airport.

Justin Bruno has been using IndyGo his whole adult life.

“They support us out here,” Bruno said.

WRTV

He works part-time as a bellman for a hotel downtown.

The bus helps him in a pinch.

“I do have transportation but things happen. So IndyGo is a blessing,” he said.

IndyGo announced Tuesday that it received a $150 million federal capital grant for the construction of the upcoming Blue Line Bus Rapid Transit route.

The awarded funding comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Small Starts Capital Investment Grant.

The FTA’s Capital Investment Grant contribution represents nearly 40 percent of the Blue Line’s estimated project budget.

“The Blue Line is going to be the longest of the BRT routes. It’s going to run through the heart of the city, the busiest corridor. 28 million visitors, within 150,000 jobs,” IndyGo spokesperson Carrie Black said.

The Blue Line will run 24 miles east to west along I-70, Holt Road and Washington Street.

Black says residents can expect some construction in the coming months.

“A big part of bus rapid transit is dedicated bus lanes. What that does is it allows buses to travel independently of car traffic, and likewise it allows cars to travel independently of the buses and not have to deal with the stops and starts of buses,” she said.

But those dedicated bus lanes are causing a bit of controversy for the people living and working along the streets it will affect.

“Revenue. They’re afraid of the revenue loss. They don’t have corporations to back them,” Jason Hunt said.

Hunt works at a tavern and sports bar on E. Washington Street in Irvington.

He says there are both positives and negatives to the Blue Line.

“There are a lot of independent restaurants and shop owners within here. So you’re doing to remove the 10 to 15 places out front, you’re going to go down to one lane. You’re going to have increased congestion,” he said.

But on the other hand, he says reliable public transportation is necessary.

“It definitely reduces their stress and their anxiety, I believe, of getting to a doctor’s appointment, getting to work. Maybe they can’t accept a position because of the infrequency of the rides,” Hunt said. “These are growing pains. I think that the pros outweigh the cons.”

Construction on the Blue Line is expected to begin early this year, with the route set to open for service in late 2028.

IndyGo will be hosting open houses in February all along the Washington Street corridor to share the details on construction, closures and detours.

They’ll be sharing the dates, times and locations of those meetings in the next week.

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Indianapolis, IN

Highlights: Tri-West at Cardinal Ritter; February 27, 2026

Published

57 minutes ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Highlights: Tri-West at Cardinal Ritter; February 27, 2026

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — “The Zone” featured highlights from eight high school boys basketball games from across central Indiana on Friday.

Watch highlights of Tri-West at Cardinal Ritter above.

Final Score: Tri-West 65 Cardinal Ritter 62

“The Zone” airs each Friday at 11:08 p.m. Click here to watch ‘The Zone’ for basketball highlights on February 27, 2026.

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Indianapolis, IN

New bridge over 96th Street adds to Nickel Plate Trail connections

Published

13 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

New bridge over 96th Street adds to Nickel Plate Trail connections

FISHERS, Ind. (WISH) — The Nickel Plate Trail pedestrian bridge over 96th Street is officially open.

It was being touted Friday as a major milestone for central Indiana’s growing trail system. The street is the Fishers-Indianapolis border.

Leaders called the project a critical connection point for the Nickel Plate Trail. The new bridge helps move the nearly 17-mile trail closer to its goal of connecting multiple counties through one continuous path.

The bridge also came with a 1.3-mile trail extension. A $4.5 million grant from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources made the bridge possible.

Dale Brier, deputy director of Indiana Department of Natural Resources, talked about the state’s Next Level Trails grant program. “Currently, we have 89 trail projects that that were funded with that money. Fifty-nine of those are complete. We’ve got 12 under construction. As of this opening, we have 167 miles of trail that have now been opened with that grant money.”

People who frequently take the trail for their daily exercises say they’re excited the bridge is finally open.

Alan Errichiello of the Fishers Running Club said, “Extending this down south into Indianapolis is a big game changer for us. It’ll add a lot of miles that we can easily get into.”

Resident Tracy Mundell said, “Trying to get to the other side was nearly impossible, so I think most people didn’t even attempt it. It’s going to be great, we can get over to the other side, and I’m anxious to see what’s over there.”

The final portion of the project, called the Clear Path project, remains under construction.

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness, a Republican, said, “We need to double-down on that investment, and we know time and time again here in the city of Fishers that trail systems, the ability to get up and get out and get active, is such an important part in our culture of health, that an investment like this is critical.”

Once complete, local leaders say the goal is to provide a more safe and connected routes between Noblesville, Fishers, Indianapolis and other surrounding cities.

Resident Steve Mundell said, “It’s lovely. It’ll be real convenient to get across too.”

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Indianapolis, IN

Good and bad from Colts’ 2026 NFLPA report card grades

Published

1 day ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Good and bad from Colts’ 2026 NFLPA report card grades

What grades did the Indianapolis Colts earn on the 2026 NFLPA report cards?

The NFLPA is no longer able to make their annual report cards public. However, ESPN’s Kayln Kahler was able to obtain a copy of the reports following the 2025 NFL season, and the Indianapolis Colts were again around the middle of the pack.

In these report cards, players rate numerous aspects of the organizations they play for, from ownership to the training facilities and everything in between. According to Kahler, 1,759 players contributed to these grades.

So, where did the Colts end up this year relative to the rest of the NFL this year?

Overall, the Colts ranked 17th. Below is a breakdown of each individual grade they received.

Treatment of Families: B
Home Game Field: D
Food/Dining Area: B
Nutritionist/Dietician: A-
Locker Room: C+
Training Room: B
Training Staff: B+
Weight Room: B
Strength Coaches: A
Position Coaches: B
Offensive Coordinator: B
Defensive Coordinator: B+
Special Teams Coordinator: B+
Team Travel: B-
Head Coach: A-
General Manager: A
Team Ownership: A

Of note, although the Colts haven’t been to the postseason in five years, Shane Steichen and Chris Ballard both received high marks.

Carlie Irsay Gordon, Kalen Jackson, and Casey Foyt earned an A in their first year as the primary owners.

The field at Lucas Oil Stadium received a very low mark, earning a D, while the locker room was given a C+. Those were the two lowest grades the Colts received.

Compared to the 2025 rankings, the Colts moved up two spots this year, after coming in at 19th last year.

The biggest jumps the Colts experienced came in the Food/Dining grade, which went from a C to a B. The Team travel grade also jumped from a D+ to a B-.

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