Another roundabout is coming to Franklin’s truck bypass, part of a long-term effort to improve traffic flow.
A $1.2 million roundabout is planned at the intersection of Commerce Parkway, Arvin Drive and Hurricane Street, the fourth in a series of five along the bypass.
The Franklin Board of Works and Public Safety this week awarded the contract to Dave O’Mara Contractor, Inc., of North Vernon, pending funding from the Franklin Redevelopment Commission.
The commission’s approval is just a formality, said Mark Richards, Franklin’s city engineer. The project, which will be paid for with tax-increment financing (TIF) district funds, is listed in the city’s cash flow report for 2021, and has been on its radar for years.
The board selected the lowest bid, which came in well under the engineer’s $1.6 million estimate. City officials and an engineering consultant combed through the bid and determined it to be responsive and responsible, said Lynn Gray, Franklin’s city attorney.
The roundabout is the next step in improving traffic flow along the bypass, a goal of the city’s since 2014, when the city started rerouting truck drivers around downtown and started ticketed truck drivers who failed to do so.
City officials decided a series of roundabouts along the bypass are safer, allowing for better traffic flow and less air pollution from idling vehicles, Richards said.
So far, three have been built at the following Eastview Drive intersections: King Street, Upper Shelbyville Road and Hurricane Street.
The new roundabout will be one lane with a grassy center, the same as the roundabouts at Upper Shelbyville Road and Hurricane Street, Richards said.
Each roundabout has been estimated to cost $1.6 million. Some cost more and some cost less, depending on the specifics of each project. For example, the King Street roundabout cost $1.8 million due to the decorative centerpiece.
The new roundabout and another planned next year at Graham Road and Commerce Parkway will complete the city’s years-long traffic flow efforts, he said.
The Indiana Department of Transportation would be responsible for the final piece of the puzzle at Commerce Parkway and U.S. 31, which is expected to be completed in the coming years, Richards said.
Work on the new roundabout is expected to start in April, and will include a temporary bypass lane around the construction zone without rerouting traffic. A walking trail that runs through the intersection will also be rerouted during construction, he said.
The city got a temporary right of way to construct the bypass lane in a farm field at the northeast corner of the intersection. The land will go back to the owner after the project, Richards said.
The roundabout is set to be completed July 2, but that may be moved back if there are any utility-related delays, he said.
