After decades in an aging shop, Indianapolis Department of Public Works solid waste crews rolled into a new chapter Monday morning, officially moving into the Belmont Street garage. The purpose-built facility brings maintenance, storage and administrative space together under one roof and is expected to cut down on the number of trucks left parked outside in bad weather. City workers were photographed and filmed walking the bays as crews began using the new shop and support spaces.
DPW Reel Shows First Morning in the New Bays
The department shared a short video on its Facebook page Monday morning that shows crews parking trucks and testing the new bays. The post notes that the Belmont Street garage offers more space for Indy DPW trucks and crews than the older facility it replaced, according to Indianapolis Department of Public Works. In the clip, staff can be seen moving equipment into the bays and workers are shown inspecting service lifts.
Circle City Forward Dollars Paid for the Upgrade
The project was financed with roughly $10.5 million from the Circle City Forward program, according to materials from the mayor’s office. City posts and project photos describe the Belmont Street garage as the first major update to solid waste facilities in more than 70 years, and identify CSO Architects as the building’s designer and Powers & Sons Construction as the contractor, per Indy Mayor's Office.
Mayor, Union Leaders Call It a Long-Overdue Boost
“Once completed, the new garage will represent the first major update for solid waste facilities in well over half a century,” Mayor Joe Hogsett said in city materials, according to the mayor’s office. Union leaders echoed that sentiment, saying the facility will promote efficiency and a better work environment. AFSCME representatives who attended earlier events welcomed the investment as a long-promised improvement for crews who had been working in aging facilities, per the same city materials.
Cramped Old Garage Left Trucks Sitting Outside
Local reporting and city photographs show that the former Belmont-area garage was cramped and often forced vehicles to be parked outdoors, an issue that crews and leaders had raised for years, according to Mirror Indy. The need to shelter and maintain a larger, modern fleet became one of the factors that pushed the city to fold the Belmont garage into its recent round of infrastructure investments.
Belmont Campus Will Anchor South Side Routes
The solid waste division’s Belmont campus on the city’s South Side is listed in local directories as 2567 S. Belmont St., and the new garage will serve South Side collection operations, according to those listings. Officials say the larger bays and added administrative space are expected to speed up maintenance turnaround and keep more vehicles indoors, which could help cut weather-related downtime on routes.
What Residents Should Watch for Next
DPW has already started using the shop for day-to-day work and will continue to publish service updates and any operational changes through its regular channels. Residents with questions about collection schedules are advised to check city service portals or contact the Mayor's Action Center for the latest information.
