Thursday evening, September 10th, the Fishers City Hall was the scene of a public hearing on the proposed 106th Street interchange on Interstate 69.  I always try to attend such events, but due to a long-standing personal commitment, I was unable to attend this public hearing.

However, Lindsey Erdody of the Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ) was on hand for the session and wrote a detailed story about what happened.  Bottom line, those testifying at the hearing were residents of the area around 106th Street and I-69 in Fishers.  They clearly don’t like the proposal.

I have a great deal of sympathy for those residents.  Many have lived in those Fishers neighborhoods for a very long time.  They never could have imagined the scope of growth that would encompass Fishers when they originally moved into their homes.

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has promised to carefully review all the comments on the proposed interchange before any plan if finalized.  However, I’m fairly certain even the residents testifying at the hearing know the interchange is going to be constructed, the only questions remaining are aimed at the final details of the design.

One controversial component of the design calls for a roundabout at the interchange instead of the usual traffic signals.  It appears the highway engineers have studied this area and came to the conclusion that the roundabout would move traffic more efficiently than the traditional traffic lights.

Also, one resident testifying at the hearing called the detour plan during construction “a nightmare.”  I can’t argue with that assessment.  Just about every road construction detour in Fishers has been a nightmare, particularly during the morning and evening rush hours.  But without the detours, there would be no upgrades to our road system.

Based on Lindsey Erdody’s story, construction on this interchange will start next year and be complete in 2017.  Here’s how Lindsey describes the funding breakdown on the $34 million plan:

“INDOT and the Federal Highway Administration would pay for $22.44 million of the project, Fishers would contribute $9.52 million and Hamilton County would pay $2.04 million.”

You can see more details of the proposed interchange on the INDOT Web site at this link. You can also submit comments through September 25th, and you may submit those comments based on guidance at the bottom of that INDOT Web page.