Construction crews making progress on new IU downtown hospital, campus

INDIANAPOLIS – As construction continues on Indiana University’s new $4.3 billion dollar downtown hospital and campus, drivers will want to be aware of some new road closures. 

Beginning Monday, all southbound lanes on Capitol Avenue between 14th and 16th streets will be closed. Traffic will be detoured to Meridian Street. The full closure will last through March 12. After that, a single lane of through traffic will reopen along Capitol Avenue.

Right now, construction on the massive project is on time with a completion date set in the fourth quarter of 2027 or in about 2.5 years. 

IU Health said that so far, 2.7 million construction hours have gone into this project with 1,300 construction workers involved in the build each day. 

The new hospital will be the centerpiece of the brand new 44-acre expanded campus. It’s among the largest healthcare projects under construction right now in the United States.

When everything is said and done, the hospital will consist of three towers, each 16 stories high connected via different walkways and tunnels. Right now, work is being done both on the exterior and interior of the buildings. There are plans to include 864 licensed hospital beds, 50 operating rooms and 380 outpatient exam rooms. 

“Every day is just great to see new things come in, things being built, walls going up and things like that,” said Mikalia Massey, a foreman and construction worker actively working on this project with one of the local laborers’ unions.

This week is Women in Construction Week which makes working on this project extra special for women like Massey.

“Being a part of it is just amazing,” she said. “There is a lot of love here. There is a lot of great energy and the support system… Women in construction, we’ve come a long way. I am very happy to be a part of it.”

The project officially broke ground in 2022 and has since seen a lot of great progress.

Michele Saysana, the interim president of the Metro Region at IU Health says this project will have a big impact on the city.

“We are building this not just for us, but for those to come,” she said. “This project really transforms how we can deliver care for patients. It’s really exciting to be a part of it.” 

Construction is expected to be complete on time at the end of 2027.

“It’s something to look forward to once we finish,” Massey said. “I always drive past here and years from now I [can] say I was a part of this.”

For more information on the project, click here. For more information on the upcoming road closures near the project, click here.