The week before the 16th Street Bridge closed, Speedway Subaru and Volkswagen opened a second showroom about a tenth of a mile from its first one. The two buildings sit on opposite sides of the bridge, and owner Derek Snyder told Fox59 that customers could now "meet their salesperson right here and take the purchase from A to Z" without crossing the river. "We didn't want there to be any reason for somebody not to do business with us," he said.
A dealership can open a second building. Everyone else on the near-westside has had to change their routes. The bridge closed to vehicles on June 1, 2026, and it stays open to people walking and biking. For the next couple of years, the only direct way across the river at 16th Street is on foot or by bike. A car trip that once took one straight line now needs a loop. That makes the Central White River Trail and the Riverside Promenade the most direct link between downtown and West 16th Street, and it changes how you plan a bakery run, a park afternoon, or a commute.
Why the whole bridge closed instead of half
The bridge was built in 1948, and Indy DPW said it had never had a full rehabilitation. The department said water damage has left it crumbling. It also cited the historic arches, which have to be preserved, and the utilities that run through the roadway as reasons a full closure was unavoidable.
Residents and business owners asked DPW Director Todd Wilson to keep half the bridge open while crews worked on the other half. Mirror Indy reported that he declined, citing worker safety. The department said it would try to finish early by adding workers, allowing night shifts, and pushing utility companies to speed up their part of the job.
Every published end date is an estimate, and the estimates differ:
- The city's project page gives a timeline of Q2 2024 through Q4 2028 and says DPW is working to shorten the projected two-year closure.
- Mirror Indy, Sept. 30, 2026 says the work is scheduled through the end of 2028 but could open to traffic sooner.
- WRTV, June 1, 2026 said the closure was expected to last until winter 2029.
As of mid-October 2026, no source has announced an early reopening date.
The driving loop, in both directions
DPW's posted detours both use the 10th Street Bridge, which is the next river crossing to the south. Here they are as Fox59 laid them out:
- Heading east, toward downtown: go south on North White River Parkway Drive West, cross the river on 10th Street, then go north on Indiana Avenue back to 16th Street.
- Heading west, toward Haughville and Speedway: go south on Indiana Avenue, west on 10th Street, then north on North White River Parkway Drive West back to 16th Street.
- The northern option: Mirror Indy's September update also lists crossing at 30th Street by way of Lafayette Road and Cold Spring Road.
The southern loop gets complicated by other work. Blue Line storm sewer construction has made West Washington Street eastbound-only between Belmont and Rockville Road, and IndyGo estimates that stretch will last until March 2027. Westbound drivers are sent to West Michigan Street by way of North White River Parkway Drive West. In practice, White River Parkway now carries detour traffic for two separate projects.
What changed on the bus this week
IndyGo started detouring Routes 6 and 25 around the bridge on June 15. As of Sunday, Oct. 11, that detour is no longer temporary. IndyGo's October service notice says Route 25, the West 16th Street line, has a new alignment and schedule that reflect the closure. Some stops that used to be served only by Route 6 on Indiana Avenue and by Route 37 on White River Parkway are now formally part of Route 25.
The agency says the new routing is reflected in GPS navigation and the Transit app. IndyGo's September notice said updated print maps were expected at the Julia M. Carson Transit Center in late September, and Customer Care can help plan trips at 317-635-3344. If you take Route 25 and haven't checked since summer, the stop you used in July may not be the stop the schedule uses now.
On foot, the river crossing still works
Most of the near-westside's car trips got longer this summer. A walk or bike ride across 16th Street stayed the same. DPW's April project presentation says pedestrian access will be maintained throughout construction, with the bridge and sidewalk work done in phases.
The trail network on the west bank is set up for that. Indy Parks describes the Riverside Promenade as a 1.5-mile path running from near the 30th Street Bridge down to 16th Street, past the Taggart Memorial and South Grove Golf Course. It connects with the Central White River Trail to form a loop through the eastern part of Riverside Regional Park. The southern end of that loop is the bridge drivers can't use right now.
One planned feature is aimed at that spot. Mirror Indy reported in April that the project includes a High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk on the bridge's eastern end, which will stop traffic so people can cross to the Central White River Trail. It's part of the rebuild and isn't installed yet. Once it is, the trail crossing that works well while there's no car traffic should keep working after the cars come back.
West 16th Street businesses, on the far side of the loop
When drivers have to go a mile out of their way, the businesses along the road feel it first. Long's Bakery has been the most visible example. Before the closure, the shop ran a petition on Facebook asking the city to reconsider. In a September viewpoint in the Indianapolis Business Journal, Board of Public Works member Daniel Haake wrote that Long's saw a 25% drop in business in the first two weeks after the bridge closed. That figure is his account, not a sales report from the bakery. It's still the only number published since the closure. Long's Tremont shop at 1453 N. Tremont St. lists hours of 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week.
Farther west, King Ribs at 3145 W. 16th St. lists drive-through and counter service every day. Hours run 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 9 p.m. on Sunday. Before the closure, the restaurant's COO told WRTV he didn't expect King Ribs' own traffic to fall much, but he was concerned for newer businesses nearby. These are the hours each business lists online, so call ahead before a special trip.
Free fall programs on the west bank
Taggart Memorial's free summer concert series ended with Toy Factory on Sept. 24. The park system's fall schedule is weekly programs, not one-off events. Riverside Adventure Park, the former Riverside Golf Course, is open daily from dawn to dusk, with trails, a nature-themed playground, and a fitness loop. Municipal Gardens, at 1831 Lafayette Road, runs most of the indoor programs listed below.
| Program | Where | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nature Explorers Club | Riverside Park | Tuesdays, 4 to 5 p.m., Oct. 13 to Dec. 15 | Free, ages 8 to 17, registration open |
| Card Club | Municipal Gardens | Mondays and Thursdays, noon to 4 p.m., through Dec. 28 | Free, all ages |
| Arts for All | Municipal Gardens | Mondays, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., through Dec. 28 | Free drop-in, all ages |
| Board Game Club | Municipal Gardens | Thursdays, 6 to 8 p.m., through Dec. 31 | Free, no session Nov. 26 |
| Urban Forest School | Riverside Adventure Park | Fridays, 10 a.m. to noon, starting Nov. 13 | Free, full with a waiting list |
The family center at Municipal Gardens is closed Sundays. It's open 1 to 9 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 2 to 9 p.m. Friday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, according to Discover White River.
Where this meets the hospital timeline
The bridge is one stop along a 16th Street corridor that matters a lot to healthcare workers. IU Health's new downtown hospital occupies a 44-acre site running from 16th Street south to 12th Street, between Capitol Avenue and I-65. It's planned to combine adult services from Methodist and University hospitals in three 16-story towers. WTHR reported the building was 45% complete as of Sept. 4, 2025, with an expected opening in late 2027.
Both dates are forecasts. If both hold, the hospital at the east end of this stretch of 16th Street will open roughly a year before the city's current estimate for reopening the bridge at the west end. Anyone who drives from the west side to a downtown hospital shift should plan on the 10th Street or 30th Street loop for at least the first part of the new hospital's operation. The bridge remains open to people walking and biking, so those trips won't need a detour.
If you're starting a residency, fellowship, or new attending role downtown and want to understand what this corridor means for your commute, MedMatch Realty Group can go over the routes with you and point you to people who already travel them. Reach Out Today.
