A new stoplight is coming to a busy intersection that’s about to get even busier.
The Indiana Department of Transportation will install a four-way traffic signal on the Interstate 65 northbound ramp at County Line Road in Greenwood. No more waiting in a long line of cars to make a risky left turn across oncoming traffic.
The new light has been a long time coming, said Linda Gibson, a Greenwood City Council member. She has received several complaints from residents about the intersection, which backs up significantly during rush hours. Turning west on County Line is dangerous for motorists.
Currently, the intersection has a stop sign. The southbound exit ramp onto County Line Road has a stoplight.
The new light will be installed during the 2020 construction season, which typically starts in the spring, said Mallory Duncan, media relations director for INDOT.
The I-65 and County Line Road interchange opened two decades ago, in October 1998. At the time, the area was mostly undeveloped, and Greenwood’s population hovered around 34,000.
Today, the city’s population is pushing 60,000, and more than 4,500 motorists used the northbound ramp daily in 2018, up from about 2,800 in 2017, according to INDOT.
It is the third most-used ramp at that interchange, following the southbound ramp to County Line Road, which sees nearly 13,000 motorists daily, and the northbound ramp to I-65, which sees about 8,000 motorists daily.
The state agency received complaints earlier this year. It had already conducted a traffic study in 2018 that deemed the intersection worthy of another stoplight, which was included in INDOT’s most recent five-year plan, she said.
"Usually, for a traffic study, it only takes one call, especially if there are safety concerns," Duncan said.
“We found that the traffic level out there had increased to the point that it was no longer safe."
It is not clear yet how much the traffic signal will cost, but it will be entirely funded by INDOT, she said.
