INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts and thousands of the team’s fans will be back in Indy this weekend for the home opener.
An influx of fans means an influx of traffic around downtown Indy Sunday. If you are headed to the game there are a few construction zones where you could see slowdowns or detours.
“No matter if you’re coming from the north, south, east or west there is going to be construction but there is also going to be a lot of people,” Kyleigh Cramer with INDOT said.
A few blocks of both 10th St. and College Ave. near Bottleworks are shut down right now as crews work on the North Split bridges above those roads. Detour signs are out for any fans taking this way into town.
“This could be a little bit of a detour for you, so make sure you’re paying attention to local roads,” Cramer said.
Going farther out of downtown, expect the continued North Split and Clear Path 465 work to possibly cause some headaches, but Cramer said most GPS apps should be adjusted to current closures.
“Trust in that map and definitely plan ahead,” Cramer said.
Looking out east, construction along some portions of I-70 in Hancock County has reduced both directions to two lanes with no shoulder. The area has been known for crashes and long delays so drive carefully.
“Once you get on I-70 around that Hancock area it’ll be up until about Indianapolis before you see a place to get off at,” Cramer said.
Toward the south, the I-69 Finish Line project is reaching into Marion County. Cramer said there are fewer stoplights along the route than this time last year, but construction is continuing.
”The moment you get to Marion County you’re going to start seeing that construction, that’s where our next phase of construction is starting to get,” Cramer said.
Going into downtown Indy, construction outside of Gainbridge Fieldhouse continues to take up a space along the streets surrounding the stadium.
As you head toward Lucas Oil Stadium, you’ll see cones and construction lining South St. that has taken out some street parking.
People we talked to who live downtown said Colts games are days when they don’t even try and drive.
”It’s really going to suck just traffic-wise, just think about it,” said one downtown resident. “There’s going to be a lot of vehicles here, there are going to be a lot of pedestrians.”
As far as parking goes, all Colts lots this year are now mobile passes instead of paper.
For fans looking to park in the city, Downtown Indy Inc. said all parking meters will be free on Sunday. They ask people to have a plan in place for parking and a backup plan in place because parking will be in high demand.
The Colts are expecting 66,000 tickets to go out for the home opener, which means a lot of fans in downtown Indy. Downtown Indy Inc. said people can plan ahead with its parking spot database.
