Georgia Street Improvements
Indianapolis, IN
Turning portions of urban roadways over to pedestrians increases a city’s livability while decreasing pollution and congestion. That’s the green approach the City of Indianapolis is taking in preparation of hosting the Super Bowl in 2012. By the time fans from around the world descend upon the city one of the primary streets in its visitor’s district will be redesigned to accommodate Super Bowl Village and provide a people-friendly environment year-round.
Georgia Street connects Conseco Fieldhouse and the Indiana Convention Center, making it a popular route for visiting and local pedestrians. The six-lane urban road is being redesigned to a single lane in each direction, with a pedestrian median, to increase green space and provide safer walkways. During Super Bowl week and other events the area will accommodate performance stages, pavalions and vendors. When completed, Georgia Street will become an extension of the stadium and convention center, rather than merely a connection.
Indianapolis is using the occasion of the Super Bowl, and the first Big Ten championship football game, to demonstrate its commitment to environmentally-friendly infrastructure improvements. Sustainability is a major focus of the project that will include natural stormwater management, rainwater harvesting, rain gardens and curbless street design. The benefits of these features include less impervious pavement, less runoff to streams, and reduced treatment costs. Irrigation is also being provided through stormwater collected in cisterns.
The Super Bowl places an unmovable deadline upon this landmark project. Based on the firm’s reputation for fast-track design, Crawford, Murphy & Tilly (CMT) was selected to lead the consulting team. The design team of CMT and RATIO Architects will deliver the concepts and design, while collaborating with clients and agencies including the Indianapolis Department of Public Works, the Indiana Department of Transportation and the 2012 Super Bowl Host Committee.
