Indy 500 Traffic Expected To Be Challenging
With hundreds of thousands of people converging to one spot, traffic will undoubtedly be an issue Sunday, and ongoing construction projects will contribute to the challenges, 6News' Joanna Massee reported.
State and local officials are working to keep as many lanes open as possible.
Motorists may want to avoid U.S. 136 between Waterfront Parkway West and Crawfordsville Road. Traffic will be one lane there.
The Crawfordsville Road exit off Interstate 465 South will be closed. Drivers can either exit at 38th Street and head to the track from there, or they will be directed to 10th Street.
Indianapolis residents are generally familiar with construction projects on the west side, but visitors from other states said construction is catching them off guard.
"I didn't realize the Crawfordsville Road exit was shut down, so I kind of did the back way through Speedway off of 10th Street," said Pat Beringer from Boston.
Indiana State Police said that on race day, drivers should be within a few miles of the track by 8 a.m. to get to the race on time.
"One thing is to make sure that they merge early if there's going to be a lane merger, because trying to cut in on traffic is one of the danger points," said Harry Maginity, of the Indiana Department of Transportation. "If there is … a crash in one of those construction sites, it's really going to slow things down."
Officials urged people to use options that don't involve driving to the track. Biking or using a shuttle from Indianapolis International Airport are two options. WRTV