Downtown Indianapolis I-65 and I-70 corridor set for major redesign, including possible interstate cap options

A new round of planning targets the South Split’s next phase after years of interchange construction

Another transformation is taking shape for the downtown stretch of Interstates 65 and 70, as Indianapolis leaders advance proposals that could physically re-stitch neighborhoods long divided by the Inner Loop. The focus is the recessed “South Split” segment near Virginia Avenue—one of the few places downtown where the interstate runs below street level, creating conditions that make an above-highway land bridge technically feasible.

The concept under discussion is an interstate cap—also called a land bridge—built over part of I-65/I-70. The current planning framework includes three conceptual approaches, ranging from a simpler cap built largely over the existing roadway to more complex options that would change the corridor’s footprint and expand the developable area created above and adjacent to the interstate.

What the proposals say the cap could deliver

In the least complex concept, the cap would create new land for both development and public space on top of the highway trench. Planning materials associated with the proposals describe a scenario that would reclaim roughly 8 acres for development, add a few acres of new park space, and support hundreds of potential housing units, alongside job creation tied to new construction and long-term commercial activity.

Project analysis included a long-horizon benefit-cost evaluation intended to quantify potential economic, land-value, and safety impacts over decades—an approach often used when assessing megaprojects that restructure urban interstates.

• Primary target area: the Virginia Avenue segment of the I-65/I-70 South Split
• Core intervention: constructing an interstate cap/land bridge over a portion of the recessed roadway
• Intended outcomes: improved neighborhood connectivity, new developable land, and additional public space

The South Split’s below-grade design is central to the planning case for a cap, because it can allow an overbuild without spanning an elevated structure.

Context: downtown interstate work has been ongoing, but the next changes are different

The new planning push arrives after a period of major interstate reconstruction downtown, including the rebuilding of the North Split interchange where I-65 and I-70 meet on the northeast edge of downtown. That work was designed to modernize bridges and ramps, address aging infrastructure, and improve traffic operations at one of the region’s most complex junctions.

The current South Split proposals are distinct: instead of primarily reconfiguring ramps and bridges for vehicles, the cap concepts center on reclaiming land and reconnecting the street grid between areas such as Fletcher Place, Fountain Square, and neighborhoods south and southeast of downtown that were separated when the Inner Loop opened in the 1970s.

What happens next

The proposals are still at the planning stage, and the path to construction would require major funding, environmental review, and coordination among city, state, and federal transportation entities. The coalition leading the work has also signaled additional corridor analysis ahead, suggesting the South Split concepts may serve as a template for broader reconsideration of downtown interstate design.

For drivers, residents, and nearby businesses, the key takeaway is that the next downtown I-65/I-70 changes under discussion are not limited to lane closures and detours—they would reshape how people move across, over, and around the interstate corridor.