One of the Near Eastside's busiest crossroads is about to go under the knife. Indianapolis officials are rolling out a major streetscape rebuild at 10th Street and Rural Street that will realign the intersection, add a multi-use path, upgrade sidewalks and lighting, plant nearly 70 new street trees, and overhaul stormwater infrastructure. The roughly $19.2 million project is slated to kick off in early September and run through the end of 2027, with neighbors and nearby businesses warned to expect intermittent lane closures and utility work as crews move in.
In a Facebook post, the Indianapolis Department of Public Works laid out the plan and its price tag, confirming intersection realignment at 10th and Rural, new lighting, stormwater upgrades, and nearly 70 new trees, all wrapped into a budget of about $19.2 million.
What the project will change
The design leans hard into safety and walkability. Plans call for a multi-use path, wider and improved sidewalks with ADA ramps, pedestrian-scale lighting, and stormwater-management features aimed at cutting down on flooding and standing water. Public outreach and project listings from local partners, including NEAR Indy and NESCO, show the work will focus on 10th Street between Tecumseh and Rural and on Rural Street between 10th and St. Clair, with the goal of better connecting residents to nearby businesses and parks.
Timeline and contracts
The city says construction is scheduled to begin in early September, with crews expected to keep at it through 2027 to complete the bulk of the streetscape overhaul. Contract records show that Crawford, Murphy & Tilly's design and engineering work for the Near Eastside streetscape was extended through December 31, 2028 by the Metropolitan Development Commission, according to the MDC resolution.
Utility work already under way
Utility crews are already tearing into the corridor ahead of the bigger rebuild. Citizens Energy Group announced a closure of a stretch of East 10th Street in late June for sewer work tied to the streetscape and said signed detours will route through-traffic while local access is maintained. Local reporting notes that Citizens and its contractors have been handling lead-service-line replacements and other utility relocations in the project area as part of the pre-construction phase, and that property owners in the zone have been getting outreach about rights-of-entry and timing for the work.
What neighbors and businesses should expect
Residents should brace for short-term lane closures, signed detours, and occasional requests for access to private property while utilities are moved and new sidewalks are built. Community groups that have long pushed for Near Eastside investment have welcomed the safety upgrades, even as neighbors stress the need for steady public-safety coordination during the multi-year construction period, according to coverage by WRTV.
The streetscape is one piece of a broader effort to revitalize the Near Eastside and tighten walking and biking connections along the corridor. Officials and utility partners say they will post regular project updates on their channels as work proceeds, and nearby businesses are urged to keep an eye out for posted notices and detour maps from the city and utilities, in line with recent local construction-season coverage.
