Beech Grove gets $17 million to improve dangerous street

A federal grant will help overhaul one Beech Grove street to make it safer for pedestrians and motorists.

The City of Beech Grove was awarded $17,082,400 in federal grant money to update Emerson Avenue, one of its most dangerous streets. Between 2018 and 2022, over thirty crashes on the street resulted in serious injuries, including one death.

The improvements will center on a portion of Emerson Avenue stretching from Main Street to just south of Victory Drive.

Four intersections will be replaced with roundabouts. The improvements will also help pedestrians by adding raised medians and pedestrian refuge islands along Emerson Avenue. The project will also fix gaps in sidewalks, add 20 pedestrian activated flashing lights at intersections, and upgrade IndyGo bus stops.

Beech Grove Mayor James Coffman said in a statement that the project would make long term improvements that would address several community concerns.

“This is a highly visible corridor that stretches for nearly two miles, with several parcels that are ripe for redevelopment,” Coffman said. “At its completion, it will result in a transformation that truly occurs only once in a generation.”

The grant comes from the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program. The grants are awarded across the country to help local, regional and tribal initiatives to decrease roadway injuries and fatalities.

In 2025, Beech Grove was the only place in Indiana to be awarded grant money to implement changes. Fifteen other areas around the state were awarded SS4A money to create safety plans.

Officials say construction is planned to begin in 2030.

Contact WFYI Digital Producer and Reporter Jeremy Reuben at jreuben@wfyi.org.