Construction has started on the $96 million IndyGo Red Line project, just weeks after it received $75 million in U.S. Department of Transportation grant funding.
Work began June 4 along Shelby St. in Indianapolis.
The project’s first phase from Westfield to Greenwood is a more than 13-mile stretch between Broad Ripple Village and the University of Indianapolis, including 27 new stations.
IndyStar reports that Reith-Riley Construction Company of Goshen and Indianapolis’ Wilhelm Construction bid $45.9 million to design the Red Line’s first phase.
The newspaper reported that Reith-Riley’s $30.3 million portion of the bid will cover improvements or repairs to existing concrete, asphalt, signals on the streets and surrounding sidewalks. Wilhelm allotted $12 million to build the Red Line stations. The two were the lowest of six bidding companies.
“Both firms do a lot of work in Indianapolis, from that standpoint, we feel confident that they’re local Indiana contractors but they’re big enough to handle a project of this size,” IndyGo’s Justin Stuehrenberg said last December.
The bids came in under budget, allowing IndyGo to award $3.6 million for “alternate” features, including a snow-melt system at each station, more-durable stone platforms at some stations and red “bus only” lanes on Capitol Avenue.
