The Irvington Development Organization recently announced that the Washington Streetscape Phase II will start the beginning of May to be completed the end of September. This phase of the work will extend from Irvington Avenue to the Pleasant Run Bridge just west of Emerson Avenue. Washington Street will be resurfaced and new curbs and sidewalks installed.
Work will start on the north side with two-way traffic in the south two lanes. Construction will then shift to the center allowing one lane of traffic in each direction along the curbs. The final stage will be on the south side with two-way traffic in the north two lanes. Emerson Avenue will stay open to traffic through the construction but expect Hawthorne Lane, and Butler, Spencer, and Downey Avenues to be closed at Washington Street.
Additionally the Audubon Road and Washington Street intersection is being rebuilt starting mid-April through late May. Workers will remove the pavers in the middle of the intersection starting in the outer lanes. Washington Street traffic will be open in the middle two lanes, but Audubon Road will be closed. Traffic will then be diverted to one lane in each direction along the outer edges in early May. Audubon Road will then be open to right turns only.
Also Bonna Avenue will receive a final topcoat and the bricks will be installed along the curbs by mid- to late- May. The street will return to two-way traffic, and the parking spaces will be striped on the north side.
As the area has experienced in the last few years, there will be detours and confused drivers. The City of Indianapolis and the Irvington Development Organization request that drivers stay patient and aware of the changing conditions during construction. Also remember the benefit to the residents and economic vitality that the new and resurfaced infrastructure is bringing to the neighborhood.
The Irvington Streetscape was first envisioned in 2003 with the help of several organizations. Fundraising for the project began in earnest in 2004, with over $1 million raised by the end of 2005 from local businesses, individuals, and organizations to make the dream a reality. Phase I of the Irvington Streetscape was completed just before the Halloween Festival in 2012 and has proved to be a major success story, drawing attention to the historic community.
