Infrastructure News Summary
For July 7, 2008

TRAFFIC, BUSINESSES TO BE DISPLACED DURING 2009 CONSTRUCTION ALONG GRANT LINE ROAD
The News and Tribune
Daniel Suddeath
7/3/08

A sizable portion of Grant Line Road will be closed beginning around May, as construction of an overpass and the addition of lanes will force traffic down other streets. The Indiana Department of Transportation held a public hearing Wednesday for business owners and residents to state their concerns about the project. One new detail that sparked debate was the proposed closure of University Woods Drive for three to six weeks during construction. INDOT Project Manager Kenny Franklin said the final construction plans have not been determined, as public input will influence the ultimate blueprint. http://www.newsandtribune.com/homepage/local_story_185114635.html?keyword=leadpicturestory

CONCRETE: I-469'S HITS ITS LIFE SPAN
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
Benjamin Lanka
7/5/08

Roadwork can be burdensome to drivers, but it is needed to keep roads safe for motorists.
Q. On Interstate 469 there is a lot of repair work going on. My question is why isn't the concrete holding up? Was there shoddy construction when the road was done? Can anybody be held responsible? - E-mail from Larry Hill of Decatur
A. Thanks for sharing your concern, Larry, but just because work is being done doesn't mean something wrong happened. While concrete typically has less maintenance than asphalt, it doesn't stay perfect forever. Jim Keefer, district construction engineer for the Indiana Department of Transportation, said the pavement being repaired on I-469 is between 15 and 20 years old. He said this is the approximate life expectancy of concrete before major rehabilitation would be expected. http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080705/LOCAL0203/807050365/1002/LOCAL

SOUTH ROGERS AND COUNTRY CLUB INTERSECTION CLOSED UNTIL JULY 18
KIRKWOOD AVENUE ALSO GETTING IMPROVEMENTS
Bloomington Herald Times
Sarah Morin
7/7/08

The intersection of Rogers Street and Country Club Drive will be closed for more than 10 days while preparations are made for widening the road there. Starting this morning, the intersection will be closed until July 18 while workers lay power lines and clear it of about 55 trees. The plan is to salvage the wood from the trees, which won't be replanted. A house at the northeast corner of the intersection will also be demolished. After this is done, the road work will start. The contractor, MAC Construction and Excavating, has 30 days to finish the project, which will close the intersection for a total of two weeks, said Justin Wykoff, the city's manager of engineering services. The project cost, which will be 80 percent federally funded, is $2.2 million.
For more information, please call TRIAD at 1-800-288-7423.

STRETCH OF COVINGTON TO CLOSE FOR TWO WEEKS
WANE-TV
7/3/08

Covington Road will be closed to all traffic between Jefferson Boulevard and Getz Road. The Closure will begin Monday, July 7, 2008 and continue for 2 weeks, weather permitting. The closure will allow the contractor, E & B Paving Inc., to complete the improvements to this section of Covington Road in conjunction with the Time Corners Improvement Project. Improvements included in this phase will be all widening, construction of curb and gutter, driveways and median curb on Covington Road. http://www.wane.com/Global/story.asp?S=8615921&nav=0RYb

LANE RESTRICTIONS ON MUNCIE BYPASS BEGIN MONDAY
The Star Press
7/6/08

MUNCIE - Workers from the Indiana Department of Transportation will begin making repairs to the Muncie Bypass on Monday night. Crews will take up sections of pavement along the northbound passing starting at midnight. Moving from the south end -- just east of where the four lanes of Ind. Road 67 end -- crews will excavate sections of worn-out pavement at night and pour new concrete during the early morning hours. Individual repaired sections should reopen to traffic by evening. "We repairing both the passing and passenger northbound lanes," said Joe Olson, manager of INDOT's Albany subdistrict. "I will take us about three days to complete."
http://www.thestarpress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080706/NEWS01/807060354/1002

INDOT CUTS RIBBON ON MAJOR MOVES PROJECT
Palladium-Item
7/3/08

CAMBRIDGE CITY, Ind. -- Local officials joined with the Indiana Department of Transportation and its contractor, Milestone, on Wednesday in cutting the ribbon on a $7.8 million Major Moves project along U.S. 40. The ceremony brought to conclusion a two-year construction project. Cambridge City, Mt. Auburn and Dublin have new sewers, new sidewalks, curbs, gutters and new pavement on Main Street. In addition, Cambridge City and Dublin are now illuminated by decorative street lighting. The Wayne County project is part of Gov. Mitch Daniels' Major Moves highway program designed to capitalize on Indiana's location. When complete in 2015, nearly $12 billion in critical highway projects will have been built. http://www.pal-item.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080703/NEWS01/807030313/1008

NEW BROWNSBURG LINK TO I-74 SET TO OPEN
The Indianapolis Star
Josh Duke
7/3/08

State and local leaders next week will open the new Ronald Reagan Parkway interchange at I-74 in Brownsburg about two months ahead of schedule. A ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate completion of the interchange will be at 11 a.m. Monday. Local and state officials, including Sen. Connie Lawson, R-Danville, and Rep. Greg Steuerwald, R-Avon, will participate. The interchange will open to traffic on Wednesday. The $17.4 million project, part of Gov. Mitch Daniels' Major Moves highway construction program, began last summer. It is expected give an economic boost to Brownsburg and eastern Hendricks County. The interchange also is an important link in Hendricks County's long-awaited Ronald Reagan Parkway. The north-south corridor eventually will extend nearly 15 miles through Plainfield, Avon and Brownsburg. Stretches of the road are still yet to be constructed. When it is finished, the parkway will link I-70 and I-74.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008807030477