by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

The first step toward a new bridge over White River at Pleasant Street was accomplished Monday by Hamilton County Commissioners. Following several years of discussion with the city of Noblesville, commissioners entered into an engineering agreement with USI Engineering for preliminary engineering services for the bridge. It will be the fourth span over the river in Noblesville and is key to a bypass of the city’s downtown area.

Estimated cost figures have not been announced. But, the county has a Major Bridge Fund with several million dollars. County government is responsible for building and maintaining major bridges throughout the county whether they are located inside or outside a city.

Noblesville city officials have already begun plans for improving Pleasant Street between 10th Street and White River along with a connection to River Road to the west of the river. Ultimately, plans call for a bypass-type thoroughfare linking State Road 37 with State Road 32 where Hague Road currently meets SR 32.

The idea of the partial bypass is to relieve traffic congestion in the downtown business district. Currently all SR 32 traffic moves through Noblesville over the Conner Street bridge. There is a second downtown bridge at Logan Street, and a third at Field Drive on the north side of the city.

In a flurry of year-end highway improvement measures, commissioners also signed an engineering agreement with the firm of Beam, Longest and Neff for designing a “curve correction” on Strawtown Avenue at Prairie Baptist Road, entered into an interlocal agreement with Carmel for assisting in construction of an interchange at Keystone Parkway and 96th Street, and another interlocal with Fishers for a bridge over the Shoemaker Ditch on Allisonville Road.

And finally, the board signed an agreement with the Lochmueller Group for construction inspection of the planned Lowes Way Extension, also known as a flyover connection to allow 146th Street traffic to access southbound Keystone Parkway. Construction on the project is expected to begin early in 2018.

In other action, commissioners announced the contractual employment of Tammy Sander as the county’s new public relations representative. She will start in her part time job immediately, spending the next three weeks acquainting herself with county government, local officials and various upcoming projects, according to County Commissioner Steve Dillinger.