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Oct 15, 2024

East 10th Street to get redesign thanks to tactical urbanism project

Part of East 10th Street is getting a makeover. The city’s Department of Public Works has secured the funds to start redesigning East 10th Street between Emerson and Arlington avenues. The new design

Part of East 10th Street is getting a makeover.

The city’s Department of Public Works has secured the funds to start redesigning East 10th Street between Emerson and Arlington avenues. The new design will include infrastructure to add bike lanes and pedestrian safety improvements, as well as slow traffic, according to DPW spokesperson Kyle Bloyd.

Much is yet to be determined, including a construction timeline and what will be included in the final design. But the project will draw inspiration from a tactical urbanism experiment carried out by Community Heights residents in 2023.

Volunteers, through a city program, installed temporary barriers along 10th and 16th streets to slow vehicles and prevent drivers from using the center turn lanes as passing lanes.

Data from the experiment showed the barriers slowed traffic along 10th Street and reduced crashes by 73%. But even though the project was successful, neighborhood residents did not expect permanent changes to come for several years.

“Having design funds released within a single budget year is incredible,” said Leslie Schulte, an engineer and Community Heights resident who led the tactical urbanism project. “It speaks to how dramatic the data was.”

Previously, she believed the soonest the city would start the design process was 2029.

“The 10th Street project will be a testament to what we can accomplish when we work together,” DPW Director Brandon Herget said in an emailed statement.

DPW will begin the design phase next year and anticipates holding public forums to solicit feedback on the plans as they are developed.

Although Bloyd said it is too soon to commit to a construction timeline, it will likely be years before changes are fully implemented.

[From Indy Documenters: Vision Zero Plan to end traffic fatalities by 2035 moves forward]

The Community Heights Neighborhood Organization completed the experiment through the city’s tactical urbanism program. Community groups can apply for permits and funding from the city that allow them to install temporary infrastructure.

DPW then takes data produced from those projects and incorporates it into its infrastructure planning.

It’s one of three “community powered infrastructure” programs run by the city.

Another, called Art in the Right-of-Way, helps residents install art projects such as murals or sculptures in or near roadways. The third, the Indianapolis Neighborhood Infrastructure Partnership, allows community organizations to share some of the costs of infrastructure improvements to get them addressed faster.

Although the city is not currently taking applications for the programs, Bloyd said now is the perfect time to start talking to your neighbors about potential projects. DPW is reviewing its latest round of applicants and will move forward with selected projects shortly.

The next round of applications is set to open in December and should cover all three programs.

Reach Mirror Indy reporter Emily Hopkins at 317-790-5268 or [email protected]. Follow them on most social media @indyemapolis.

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by Emily Hopkins, Mirror Indy October 14, 2024

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