After spending the last few years navigating orange barrels and closed lanes on Interstate 65, U.S. 31, State Road 135 and State Road 37, commuters are getting a bit of relief this year.
The state is planning three construction projects in Johnson County this year, with crews planning to place a protective coating on the State Road 37 bridge over Bluff Creek just south of State Road 144, fill in potholes and cracks on a 2.5-mile stretch of State Road 252 between U.S. 31 and Interstate 65, and replace a drainage pipe under State Road 135, north of State Road 144, news releases said.
Last year, commuters dealt with lane closures on State Road 135, U.S. 31 and I-65 that backed up traffic and created lengthy delays on those key north-south routes. And the year before, projects on State Road 37, U.S. 31 and I-65 caused major traffic delays.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
But work on a three-year project to add lanes and repave I-65 wrapped up in 2017, and no major paving projects are planned anytime soon for State Road 135, State Road 37 or U.S. 31, transportation department spokesperson Harry Maginity said.
That means a smoother drive on the interstates and state highways the county’s 30,000 commuters take to and from Indianapolis.
Starting in late April, a section of State Road 252, between U.S. 31 and I-65 will get repairs to potholes, cracks and sections of crumbling pavement later this spring. About 6,000 drivers pass through that stretch of road every day. The work is necessary due to how the road has deteriorated in that area, Maginity said.
Work is expected to last until Memorial Day, and the road will remain open for traffic during that time, a news release said.
Then in June, work on the $112,000 project on the bridges on State Road 37 will last about two weeks.
The bridges over Bluff Creek, which is south of State Road 144, is one of five bridges that the state is spending about $550,000 on a layer of protective material meant to slow down deterioration from weather and traffic, a news release said. The bridge was built in 2013, and it is typical to put down a protective layer within several years of a bridge’s construction to lengthen its lifespan, Maginity said. About 24,000 vehicles travel over the bridges daily and the project will include lane closures with occasional traffic stoppages, but the bridges will remain open, the release said.
State Road 135 will be closed for about two weeks in July, as a drainage pipe underneath the road about a mile north of State Road 144 will be replaced, the release said.
But that isn’t the end of construction in Johnson County, since local communities also have major projects planned and underway.
In Greenwood, more than $12 million of road projects are planned in and around the downtown area.
On the city’s list of work to be done: reconstructing Madison Avenue between Noble and Pearl streets; rebuilding Emerson Avenue from Main Street to County Line Road and redesigning the area where U.S. 31, Smith Valley Road and Madison Avenue meet, with a new roundabout at the intersection of Smith Valley Road and Madison Avenue, removing several left turn lanes and a jug handle turn at the intersection of U.S. 31 and Smith Valley Road.
For the third summer in a row, a section of Jefferson Street is closed in Franklin as work on a $12.1 million rebuild of the route between U.S. 31 and I-65 continues.
And that doesn’t count what is coming in the future, including a significant project planned to rebuild the north split in Indianapolis, where I-65 and Interstate 70 meet, which is expected to be underway in the next few years, and will drastically impact drivers’ commutes.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”At a glance” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
The Indiana Department of Transportation Department has three projects planned in Johnson County. Here’s a look at when and where that roadwork will take place:
State Road 37
Where: Bridge over Bluff Creek, south of State Road 144
When: June
What: Workers will be placing a protective coating on the bridge, which is intended to increase its lifespan
Traffic: Work will be done with lane closures, allowing drivers to continue to use the bridge
State Road 252
Where: U.S. 31 to Interstate 65
When: Late-April through May 28
What: Patching potholes and cracks
Traffic: Crews will direct drivers around the repairs.
State Road 135
Where: About a mile north of State Road 144
When: July
What: Replacing a drainage pipe under the road.
Traffic: The road will be closed for about two weeks.
[sc:pullout-text-end]
