Ever since I moved to Fishers in 1991, road construction has been a constant.  I suppose that goes with living in a growing community.

One project is now complete that will make traversing the western part of the city much easier…that would be at 131st Street and Cumberland Road.  The traffic signal at the intersection has been replaced with a roundabout.

There were two important reasons this construction project was done now.  First, city officials wanted the work to be underway while students were away on their summer break, because many schools and the district’s bus barn are located along Cumberland Road, just north of this intersection.

Secondly, the major construction on the rebuilding of State Road 37 is scheduled to begin during the spring of 2019.  Mayor Fadness has made it clear he wanted the roundabout completed at Cumberland and 131st before major construction begins in State Road 37 project.  Once the work begins on 37, people will be looking for detours, and Cumberland Road will likely be one of those detour routes.

The current plan is to rebuild the intersection of State Road 37 and 126th Street first.  That will likely take one full construction season in 2019, with the east-west traffic likely blocked, or at least severely limited, during next year’s construction.

Then, 131st & 141st Streets will be blocked in later years to construct roundabout intersections with State Road 37.  A new intersection will be constructed at State Road 37 and 146th Street, with a traffic signal interchange much like the interchange at I-465 and Allisonville Road in Indianapolis.

Be aware that the order of the work has already changed, so the order of how this work will be completed may change again before the earth-moving equipment enters the scene.

So, the 131st Street roundabout at Cumberland Road, and the widening of Allisonville Road up to 131st Street, are projects being completed this year to prepare us for the reconstruction of State Road 37 that will take several years.  It will be painful, but living in a growing community does exact a price.