With more money set aside for road work, drivers in Greenwood will likely run into more orange barrels and construction this summer.
The city is using a loan to fund a large chunk of road repair projects this summer. A total of more than 5 miles of work on nearly 30 streets will be done, which includes repairs, reconstructing some roads, projects to resurface downtown alleys and a parking lot and adding a passing lane on Smith Valley Road to get around drivers who are turning into a subdivision.
Work is set to begin later this month and be completed this fall.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryGreenwood has averaged spending $1.6 million a year on road resurfacing over the past decade, but will be spending about $3 million this year after the Greenwood City Council approved a nearly $2 million loan this spring. That loan, which is paid back from the income tax the city receives, will pay for about 5 miles of streets to be either resurfaced or reconstructed, Greenwood Capital Projects Manager Kevin Steinmetz said.
To determine which streets were most in need of repairs, the city conducts a study of its entire road system, ranking roads on a scale of one to 10.
Officials chose to focus on many of the roads at the lowest end of the scale, which includes both residential neighborhood streets and major routes through the city.
Some of the areas being targeted include streets in the Foxmoor neighborhood on the northwest side of the city and a section of Stop 18 Road, from Averitt Road to York Street.
No road closures are planned, but some lanes might be closed as necessary, Steinmetz said.
Other work includes an added lane on Smith Valley Road at the entrance of the Brandywine subdivision west of Averitt Road to get around traffic turning into the neighborhood, resurfacing a city parking lot in Old Town Greenwood on Pearl Street and resurfacing downtown alleys in between Madison Avenue, Wiley Street, Meridian Street and Broadway Street.
Even with a list of about 30 projects, the amount of money still simply isn’t enough, Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers said.
The city has to push off several projects because the prices were higher than anticipated, he said.
For example, the city planned to do full reconstruction on sections of Honey Creek Road and Emerson Avenue, but wasn’t able to do so. Instead, the city is now seeking a state grant to help with funding that work next year, Steinmetz said.
One problem is that, because of the increase in funding for road projects across the state, contractors hired to do the work can be more selective and can charge more than in previous years, Myers said. So cities are getting more funding to do roadwork, but increased demand for contractors means everyone is paying higher prices, he said.
Besides annual repair work, the city is also in the middle of adding a roundabout at Smith Valley and Yorktown roads, which is on track to be complete by the end of the month. The city is responsible for paying for $590,000 of the $1.6 million project, with the remainder being funded through a grant.
An $800,000 project to add a new turn lane and improve a drainage ditch are also planned at the intersection of Stop 18 Road and U.S. 31. Work at that intersection was put off due to construction at Worthsville Road and U.S. 31 last summer.
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Greenwood is spending nearly $3 million this summer to resurface or reconstruct about five miles of the city’s nearly 214 miles of roads. Here is a look at where the work will be taking place:
Mill and overlay resurfacing:
Polk Manor Drive – from Polk Street to dead end
Stokley Boulevard – from Polk Manor Drive to Concrete
Commerce Parkway South Drive – from Commerce Parkway East Drive to Allen Road
Gerdt Court – from Commerce Parkway South Drive to dead end
Foxmere Boulevard – from Fry Road to Foxmere Terrace
Foxmere Way – from Foxmere Terrace to VanDyke Way
Foxmere Terrace – from Foxmere Boulevard to Oakmere Way
Foxmere Drive – from Oakmere Way to State Road 135
Oakmere Way – from Foxmere Terrace to VanDyke Way
VanDyke Way – from Foxmere Drive to Foxmere Boulevard
Camby Court – from Madison Avenue to dead end
Crescent Drive – from Apryl Drive to Kimbrough Drive
Kenwood Drive – from Apryl Drive to Kimbrough Drive
Kimbrough Drive – from Crescent Drive to Kenwood Drive
Stop 18 Road – from York Street to Averitt Road
Brook Drive – from Stonemill Drive to Cottage Lane
Brook Village Drive – from Apryl Drive to Cottage Lane
Cottage Lane – from Stonemill Drive to Brook Drive
Stonemill Drive – from Cottage Lane to Cottage Lane
Woodland Place – from Woodland Drive to dead end
Woodland Drive – from Euclid Avenue to Valley Lane
Reconstruction:
Apple Valley/Orchard Hill/Stonegate Road
Winding Brook Lane – from Howard Road to dead end
Nancy Lane – from Meridian Street to dead end
Horton Street – at Fairview Drive
Other projects:
Pearl Street parking lot resurfacing
Downtown alley resurfacing — between Madison Avenue, Wiley Street, Meridian Street and Broadway Street.
Smith Valley Road passing lane — to be added at the entrance of the Brandywine subdivision
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Coming next week, we’ll give you a run through of what road repairs Franklin and Johnson County have planned for this summer.
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