The corridor and the delivery date
IndyGo awarded nearly $250 million in construction contracts for the Blue Line on 19 December 2024. Gradex Inc. took Package A at about $208 million for the roadway elements. That package carries stormwater and drainage improvements, pavement resurfacing, pedestrian facilities, traffic signal upgrades and sanitary sewer relocations. F.A. Wilhelm Construction Co. took Package B at about $34 million for the stations, after building the Red Line and Purple Line stations. R.L. Turner Co. took Package C at about $6 million for the East Side Mobility Hub.
The line runs 24 miles from the Indianapolis International Airport to the town of Cumberland by way of downtown. It follows I-70, Holt Road and Washington Street, and it replaces the current Route 8. The route carries 30 stations at half-mile to one-mile spacing. IndyGo schedules service for late 2028 on its project page.
The budget splits four ways. IBJ reported $207.8 million in federal grants and funding, $135 million in IndyGo's own match, $16.5 million from the Department of Public Works and $15 million from Citizens Energy Group. Ask IndyGo for a month inside 2028. The published record gives a year.
What construction does to arrivals
Work runs across 12 construction areas between 2025 and 2028. IndyGo splits the corridor that way to limit the impact on one stretch, and each area carries its own schedule.
The downtown segment touches hotel arrivals. IndyGo and the Department of Public Works run work on Washington and Maryland streets from the White River Bridge to Alabama Street. Lane closures cover West Street to Capitol Avenue for curb ramps, pedestrian improvements and station construction, with a minimum of one lane open in each direction. The northern eastbound lane approaching Maryland and West streets stays closed for the duration of the project. The inside eastbound and westbound lanes are barrelled off from South White River Parkway to West Street for the Zoo Station and White River State Park stations.
Two future stations sit on the hotel blocks. The Statehouse Station is planned at Washington Street and Capitol Avenue. The Convention Center Station is planned at Maryland Street and Capitol Avenue. Hotels that front those blocks take construction traffic at the door. IndyGo maintains local access to residences and businesses through the work.
Drop-off, rideshare and detour routes
IndyGo moves westbound traffic off Washington Street on the west side. Between Rockville Road and Belmont Avenue, the westbound diversion runs north onto North White River Parkway, west onto Michigan Street and south onto Holt Road. Eastbound access continues in a single lane. Between Belmont Avenue and the White River Bridge, IndyGo runs one lane in each direction and uses single-day westbound closures during station construction.
Rideshare and taxi pickups follow the marked detour routes. IndyGo offers a community toolkit with "Open for Business" yard signage and window clings, Blue Line print collateral, a property access map and business advertising. Two construction liaisons staff business hours, and the project runs a weekly newsletter.
The airport run once the line opens
The completed line gives the airport leg a published timetable. Weekday service runs 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday runs 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday runs 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. A bus arrives at each station about every 15 to 20 minutes at peak. Every station on the line serves this route alone.
Riders get level boarding, step-free platforms, in-median stations, real-time arrival screens and covered platforms. The 60-foot articulated buses carry doors on both sides and onboard bicycle storage. The vehicles use transit-only lanes and signal priority at busy intersections.
The full fare is $2.75 for two hours of travel. A daily cap sits at $6.00 and a weekly cap at $24.75. Children age 5 and under ride free with a fare-paying rider. Fare capping works through MyKey+ only, and IndyGo discontinues the older MyKey card on 1 September.
The revenue read
The published numbers carry a service read. No publisher in the record attaches a rate, an occupancy figure or a room-night count to the Blue Line.
Downtown holds the rooms the line serves. The Facility Guide counts 4,721 rooms connected to the building, 7,175 within a six-block radius and 4,570 committable group rooms. Visit Indy counts 13 properties and 5,500 hotel rooms connected under one roof, with the Signia by Hilton Indianapolis opening at 803 rooms in December 2026 alongside the convention center expansion.
Ask IndyGo for post-opening ridership reporting. Ask the connected hotels which corporate and group accounts name airport access.