Transforming Connections: The Reshaping of South Meridian

"It is clear that a new traffic pattern could not only help bridge the gap between the southside of the city, but also activate a vibrant pedestrian realm that can help grow the Old Southside into a robust, lively, and engaging area for visitors, locals, and residents."

The tea:  In under two years, South Meridian Street, just outside downtown Indianapolis, is poised for a remarkable transformation. The bustling four-lane thoroughfare that winds through the residential enclave known as the Old Southside is on the cusp of a significant change. A visionary $7 million undertaking will reshape this stretch into a people-centric boulevard, reallocating space from cars to pedestrians. This revitalizing endeavor covers the area between Arizona and McCarty streets, constituting a pivotal facet of the ongoing efforts within the Old Southside neighborhood.

The project is a proud outcome of the city's Lift Indy initiative, a strategic endeavor aimed at uplifting neighborhoods. The Old Southside, embraced by South Street, Madison Avenue, the White River, and the CSX train tracks, was designated a Lift Indy neighborhood in 2018. Over these years, this neighborhood has experienced a succession of positive changes, supported by federal investments. Notable transformations include the enhancement of Kelly Park, the construction of a dozen affordable homes, and the groundbreaking of a $58 million apartment complex (The Rise by TWG), a portion of which is reserved for low-income households.

Contextual Overview

Visually, the metamorphosis of Meridian Street from McCarty to Wisconsin will be apparent, with an enriched streetscape, enhanced lighting, and newly designated bike and pedestrian pathways. These modifications are set to enhance the quality of life for residents, fostering a more enjoyable living environment. Among the most impactful developments is the introduction of bike and walking paths, stormwater improvements, and streetscape improvements along the Meridian corridor south of Interstate 70. This corridor should allow easy access to amenities such as Kelly Park, which recently received a $900,000 upgrade, and a burgeoning commercial node to the south. The bicycle and pedestrian routes emanating north of Meridian St. will enable residents to venture west or east, linking to destinations like Fountain Square and Elanco Park through the most recent extension of the Cultural Trail from Virginia to Lucas Oil and then a future extension over the White River.

In the map above, you can see the extent of pedestrian upgrades to Meridian from McCarty to Wisconsin (green), stormwater improvements on McCarty (blue) and the South St. upgrades that include an extension of the Cultural Trail.

But these improvements leave a gap between the Old Southside and the Wholesale District just to the north. There is plenty of momentum brewing for more connections to the south of the city, including preliminary planning work for the South Greenway that hopes to connect downtown with Greenwood.

The opportunity: However, I don’t believe the city should stop there. While recent efforts to reconnect south portions of city with downtown are a GREAT start (see Merritt Chase and DMD’s fantastic South Downtown plan here), the potential of the southside just aches for more connection for pedestrians and cyclists. For instance, see this graphic showcasing the disconnect between the up-and-coming Old Southside with downtown. The traffic circulation in south downtown near the South Meridian corridor is an unnecessarily complicated network of one ways and slip lanes that help to quickly move interstate traffic – but do little to improve walkability. 

Below see an aerial perspective of the current traffic flow conditions in the corridor and the possibility for what can be.

My proposal creates a cohesive Meridian St. corridor stretching all the way from Monument Circle to the Old Southside by running Meridian Street through the South St. intersection and eliminating the Madison Ave spur that emanates from Meridian south of South St. This proposal eliminates truck traffic from utilizing the Penn/Madison pair to access downtown and instead utilize the much wider and already interstate-like West St. for downtown delivery access. Meanwhile Illinois is maintained as an interstate feeder into downtown while south Madison maintains its feeder access to Interstate 70 heading out of downtown. The spur of Russell that leads to south Meridian is eliminated and instead leads to expanded parking for both residents and the new hotel developments nearby, offering to mitigate potential concern over connectivity for vehicular access. Norwood is St. is maintained as an access point off Illinois while what is now the intersection of Meridian and Russell becomes a pocket park. Infill opportunities are seen in transparent blocks.