Residents received an update on the State Road 37 project Monday night, and officials had a lot to talk about. The intersection designs for 141st Street and 146th Street have both changed dramatically, the sequence of when intersections will be constructed is now up in the air and officials are working to keep the project within budget.
First, the two major design changes.
141st Street was originally designed to be a two-lane roundabout. The new design calls for a single lane roundabout.
The 146th Street interchange with State Road 37 was originally planned to be a two-lane roundabout, but engineers are now drawing-up a traffic signal interchange, much like the one at Allisonville Road and Interstate 465 in Marion County.
The design changes come as a result of studying traffic projections for both 141st and 146th Streets along State Road 37.
The engineering team drawing up the construction plans is now saying the sequence of bridge construction, or which interchanges will be constructed in which order, is now unknown. At one point, the team said it planned to construct the roundabouts over SR37 at 131st and 141st Streets first and at the same time. That is no longer the plan. During construction of the bridges, east-west travel at SR 37 would be blocked along those streets.
Construction of the bridges should begin in 2019. Work is now projected to be completed sometime in 2021.
One reason the 141st Street roundabout has been reduced from two lanes to one lane is part of an effort to keep the project within budget. Fishers City Engineering Department Director Jeff Hill says those designing the plan are doing everything in their power to keep the construction project within the approved spending. The project is budgeted for $124 million, with the state providing $100 million – Hamilton County and the City of Fishers are chipping-in $12 million each.
There was an extensive discussion of drainage. Expect more drainage work along State Road 37 in 2018, with some lane closures needed.
Speakers at the update session included Troy Woodruff of RQAW Corporation, Jeff Hill with the City of Fishers and Eric Farny of American Structurepoint Inc.
