If you were waiting to see if State Road 37 through Johnson County will make a short list of routes for Interstate 69, you will need to wait a bit longer.
The state had initially planned to narrow its list of five potential routes for I-69 by the end of this year. But now, the state will seek public feedback on detailed plans for each of those routes, according to the Indiana Department of Transportation.
Three meetings this week will give residents, motorists and business owners a chance to comment on the state’s five potential I-69 routes, including more information on how much land the interstate would cover and where interchanges and access roads would be.
Once the state gets that feedback, that will help determine the timeline of when the potential routes could be narrowed more, Will Wingfield, spokesman for the Indiana Department of Transportation, said in an email.
In June, the state released the list of five routes for I-69 between Martinsville and Indianapolis, which are currently being considered. That list had been whittled down from the initial 14 routes.
One of the routes is along State Road 37, which would cut through the northwest corner of Johnson County, two routes would branch off State Road 37 north of Martinsville and head north to I-465 and two routes would branch off State Road 37 north of Martinsville and head northwest to Interstate 70 near Plainfield.
After those five routes were announced, the state was asked for more information and for more chances for public feedback, Wingfield said. That is what people can do at the upcoming meetings, and comments will continue to be accepted online or at the project office in Martinsville through Dec. 17, according to a news release from the state department of transportation.
State officials will then consider that public feedback, along with human and environmental impacts, cost and other measures before the list is narrowed to fewer of routes, Wingfield said. State officials have said they plan to select a final route in 2017.
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The Indiana Department of Transportation is hosting meetings this week to discuss more details about five possible routes for a future Interstate 69, between Martinsville and Indianapolis, and to get public comments. Each meeting will begin at 6 p.m., with an open house, followed by a presentation and public comment session at 7 p.m. The meetings will be on:
- Monday at Perry Meridian High School, 401 W. Meridian School Road, Indianapolis.
- Wednesday at Mooresville High School, 11 N. Carlisle St., Mooresville.
- Thursday at Martinsville High School, 1360 E. Gray St., Martinsville.
Public comments also can be sent by Dec. 17 with a web form at in.gov/indot/projects/i69/2463.htm, by contacting I-69 Section 6 at [email protected] or 881-6408, or visiting the project office at 7847 Waverly Road, Martinsville, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
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