Open Streets Will Close Down Westfield Blvd

Open Streets are coming to Indy to this weekend.  Nearly two miles of Westfield Boulevard will be shut to vehicle traffic this Sunday as Indianapolis experiences its first ever Ciclovia event.  Megan Treida with Open Streets explains that the event differs from a regular street festival.

“The focus is really to encourage physical activity,” Treida says.

The family friendly event also hopes to promote environmental, social and public health goals by closing the street to traffic.  The transformation allows the road to become a temporary park filled with activities focused on health and wellness. "There will be swing dancing at one intersection and then a yoga class," Treida says.  The idea started in the late 1970s in Columbia where they still block off streets to cars every Sunday. 

The popular initiative is quickly growing with over 90 Open Streets projects planned throughout North America.  This image is from a similar event in St. Louis.  

Indy's anagural Open Streets will have Westfield Boulevard closed between College Avenue and 53rd Street between the hours of noon and 5 p.m.