The death of a teenage driver on State Road 135 early this year has local residents, including the teen’s neighbor, advocating for improvements to be made to the busy route that thousands use daily.
Along with the fatal accident that killed the Center Grove High School junior, two pedestrians were badly injured while attempting to cross State Road 135. Those serious crashes prompted a group of residents to look for answers.
The residents have been meeting to raise awareness about the issue and ask the state to make safety improvements, such as additional crosswalks, street lighting and traffic lights.
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James Pope, a neighbor of the family of the student who was killed in the crash, reached out to other residents in the Buckmoor Manor neighborhood through social media. Though he was first targeting others who lived in the neighborhood, he soon began getting in touch with residents from elsewhere in the Center Grove area, with about 50 people attending their meetings so far. The group has met four times at the White River Township Trustee’s office.
“I decided to stop complaining about the traffic and start to do something,” he said.
They are now working to get local and state officials involved, and have invited representatives from the Indiana Department of Transportation, Greenwood and Johnson County to their meeting next week, Pope said.
In past meetings, the group has talked about the types of improvements they’d like to see, a list that includes widening existing sidewalks and building new ones on the sections of State Road 135 that don’t have any, street lights to improve visibility, additional crosswalks, and stoplights at the Curry Road intersection.
The recent accidents on State Road 135 have residents concerned about their safety as they drive along that road, White River Township Trustee Mark Messick said.
Traffic on State Road 135 has continued to increase. In 2012, the section of State Road 135 at Curry Road had about 28,700 drivers passing through each day. That number rose to 32,100 in 2016, according to data from the Indiana Department of Transportation.
More traffic means a greater potential for serious accidents, White River Fire Chief Jeremy Pell said.
On Feb. 9, a 27-year-old man was taken to a hospital with two broken legs and a neck injury after he was hit by a car while standing in the center turn lane, waiting to cross the highway. Later that month, a 27-year-old woman was struck while also attempting to cross State Road 135. And Sarah Kish, 17, was killed in a car crash on Feb. 16 while she was on her way to school at Center Grove.
Pell sees both sides of concerns about traffic on State Road 135. As a fire chief, he has had to respond to an increasing amount of serious accidents on that road. But as a parent whose family lives in a neighborhood that exits onto State Road 135, he also has concerns about the safety of his own children, as one recently began driving and another will be in several years.
“It weighs on my heart as a parent as much as it does a fire chief,” he said.
The rule for his family is that his 17-year-old son isn’t allowed to make a left turn out of their neighborhood onto State Road 135. For a young, inexperienced driver, making the left turn into the center lane can be challenging with how fast traffic is moving, Pell said.
New homes and businesses in the area add more drivers on the road, and the greatest risk for crashes is when drivers are entering, exiting or crossing State Road 135, he said.
The Indiana Department of Transportation is responsible for any maintenance or improvements to State Road 135, meaning any decision about upgrades would rest with them. The state treats all fatal accidents seriously and is aware of the concerns residents have been expressing about State Road 135, spokesperson Harry Maginity said.
Maginity plans to be at the group’s meeting next week to answer questions about State Road 135 and talk about the state’s plans for the road and what improvements could be made.
One upcoming project is for crosswalk markings, curb ramps and countdowns signs to be added at three intersections along State Road 135 at Menard Drive, County Line Road and Meridian Park Drive.
Greenwood has been pushing for the state to make safety improvements to State Road 135, and having residents become involved and petition for the changes is something that will help in getting those improvements made, Greenwood City Council President Mike Campbell said.
That community involvement is key, local officials said.
“This is an important discussion,” Pell said. “I’m glad the community is participating and we are working on it together, because that is how effective change happens.”
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A group of local residents is working to raise awareness about safety issues on State Road 135 following a series of serious crashes early this year. Next week, a state official will be attending a meeting to answer questions about potential safety improvements.
When: 6:30 p.m. April 25
Where: White River Township Trustee’s Office, 2929 S. Morgantown Road, Greenwood
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