Retro Indy: Central Canal might have been highway, dedicated bus lane

The waterway often known as the “Downtown Canal” or “Indianapolis Canal,” is in reality a segment of the Indiana Central Canal, a watery throughfare originally envisioned as traversing the state. However, at multiple points in the past 100 years, the canal almost became a roadway.

The canal was initially part of the state’s Internal Improvement Act of 1836, which aimed to revolutionize travel in Indiana with new roadways, railroads, and canals. Instead, poor planning by the Indiana General Assembly, corruption, and a worldwide financial panic doomed the program and led the state to fall into financial ruin.