INDIANAPOLIS — Downtown commuters will get their first peek today at what will be a constant flow of street closures leading up to the Super Bowl.
Portions of three streets in downtown Indianapolis will be closed today after the morning rush hour. Plans call for continual street closures in the days expected to bring plenty of traffic to the circle city.
Capitol Avenue will close from Maryland Street to South Street, with fewer lanes available to motorists from Ohio Street to Maryland Street. Georgia Street will close today from Capital Avenue to Illinois Street, with a partial closure from Illinois Street to Meridian Street beginning Saturday. South Street lanes will be restricted from Missouri Street to Capital Avenue.
Dollyne Sherman, volunteer communications liaison for the transportation subcommittee of the Super Bowl Host Committee, encourages people to visit http://www.indianapolissuperbowl.com/downtown-street-restrictions to see maps and plan ahead.
“The heaviest days (of traffic) will be Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday of Super Bowl weekend,” she said. “That’s the time period where most out-of-town visitors will be coming in.”
For Greenfield commuters like Nick Kile, the days are ticking down with thoughts on just how difficult it will be to get to work.
“It’s my plan to (continue to commute downtown) until it’s no longer bearable,” said Kile, an attorney for Barnes and Thornburg, whose offices at Washington and Meridian streets are only four blocks from the Super Bowl Village. “The roads I routinely take to get to the (parking) garage and the Interstate to get home are not closed. All that means is, I’ll see a bunch of traffic on the roads because other roads are closed.”
Kile takes Interstate 70 to Indianapolis. He said he might be able to work from home if traffic becomes too heavy.
“I have some apprehension,” he said. “It’ll be disruptive. I’m not looking forward to it. With all things, we’ll have to adjust…. I have no idea what to expect. My suspicion is, the closer we get to the weekend, it will be pretty crazy.”
The Indiana General Assembly will not meet for two days because of the Super Bowl. Sherman said a number of companies in the area of Super Bowl festivities are making plans that will best serve their customers and business.
Still, she said there are busing options for commuters to take instead of their cars. There are also suggested routes around downtown that may help motorists avoid traffic.
For every direction coming downtown, the Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee recommends alternate routes to avoid traffic starting today and leading up to Feb. 5.
Marked “Super Route” and “Bowl Route,” the routes around downtown Indianapolis should help motorists avoid traffic as much as possible. Parking meters and streetside parking will be eliminated on most of those streets, allowing for one additional lane for traffic.
“They are routes that have been created to allow motorists to avoid those closed streets,” she said.
She suggests people look at the routes online and start driving them now to get ready for the influx of vehicles and spectators.
“This week and really next week, they have the chance to familiarize themselves with these routes and practice these routes,” she said.
As for the main roads connecting Hancock County to Indianapolis – I-70 and U.S. 40 – no special traffic plans are being made.
That’s because, Harry Maginity says, the routes are in good shape, especially with the winter hiatus on I-70 construction.
“It’s a good situation right now on 40 and 70,” said Maginity, Greenfield district spokesman for the Indiana Department of Transportation. “There’s no road closures, no lane closures, no restructures.”
He said INDOT has been working on alternate routes throughout Indianapolis in case of snow emergencies. But those routes don’t affect I-70 and U.S. 40, which should be clear and open even if there is wintry weather.
How much traffic the routes will see is in question. He said, for example, if a lot of fans are flying in, there will likely be a lot of traffic on I-70 around Indianapolis Regional Airport at Mt. Comfort.
“We’re expecting there to be a lot of traffic,” Maginity said. “How much traffic is going to depend on the teams that make the Super Bowl and where their fans are coming from.”