by

Jeff Jellison

Publisher

Hamilton County Reporter

On Tuesday, Noblesville Mayor Chris Jensen, along with other city officials, presented the city’s plan for a proposed bypass around downtown Noblesville. The project is titled by city officials as Reimagine Pleasant Street.

Reimagine Pleasant Street is a multi-year initiative expected to improve east-west connectivity and accessibility through Noblesville with an expected cost exceeding $113.5 million.

The price tag includes two county funded bridges – one over White River at a cost of $15.5 million, and the other crossing Cicero Creek at a price yet to be determined.

The project will create a new east-west corridor through Noblesville.

Information published on the project’s website describes the location of the bypass as follows:

Beginning from the west, the project begins at the intersection of State Road 32 and Hague Road and continues south and east across the White River, where it will follow the former Midland Trace railroad bed. The project will then jog south to 8th Street and continue south to the existing alignment of Pleasant Street. Unlike previous designs, this corridor will minimize impact to the National Register-listed Plum Prairie Residential Historic District.

The corridor will continue on the existing alignment of Pleasant Street to 19th Street.

Noblesville officials estimate the bypass is expected to result in a 24 percent reduction in traffic on SR 32 through the downtown area.

Information obtained from the city indicates Noblesville is pursuing state funding in coordination with the Indiana Department of Transportation and regional Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), including an application for $10 million for Phase 1.

Additional funding for the project could include a vehicle excise tax of $25 per registered vehicle within the City of Noblesville and city officials are considering an increase in the current $1.10 per $1,000 assessed valuation property tax rate.

According to project documents, the city will tap numerous other funding sources to minimize the costs to taxpayers, including revenue generated through new private investments, that are already underway that will result in additional tax increment revenue of $500,000 per year.

Construction is expected to begin in late 2022 with utility relocation. Roadwork is estimated to start in the spring of 2023.

Construction will be conducted in three phases:

1. The first phase will create the connection over the White River from River Road to 10th Street.
2. The second phase will improve existing Pleasant Street from 10th Street to SR 37.
3. The third phase will connect Pleasant Street from River Road to SR 32 at the Hague Road intersection.

City officials estimate the entire project should be completed in the fall of 2025.