Summer weather is here and road construction season is in full gear.  Some major news is coming up on the biggest, longest-running road improvement project in Fishers – State Road 37.  However, one segment of that project yet to be started may have hit some complications.

The interchange at 126th Street and SR 37 has been open for some time, with SR 37 north-south traffic traveling unobstructed with an underpass at 126th Street.  126th Street features an overpass roundabout for handling east-west traffic.  So far, that improvement appears to be getting high marks from Fishers motorists.

There are two major construction projects that continue and are expected to open after the summer season.

131st Street & SR 37 is expected to be completed and open for traffic in September or October this year, according to Hatem Mekky, Assistant Director of Engineering for the City of Fishers.  The design is similar to the 126th Street interchange.  Once that is completed, 135th Street, which currently uses a traffic signal to control traffic at SR 37, will become a right-in right-out design.

SR 37 and 146th Street is also scheduled to be completed at about the same time as 131st Street, according to Mekky.  This is a much different design, featuring a north-south underpass for SR 37 vehicles, but will not have a roundabout on the east-west overpass, as in 126th & 131st Streets.  This design will feature traffic signals on 146th Street, much like the interchange of Allisonville Road and Interstate 465 in Indianapolis, just south of Fishers.

As of the fall of 2022, only one Fishers SR 37 interchange will be left to complete – 141st Street.  In a podcast interview recorded and posted May 6th, Jason Taylor, Director of Engineering for the City of Fishers, said the bids have been opened for the work at 141st & SR 37, and they were way above the estimates.  The bids came in so much higher than expected that Taylor said his staff will be sifting through the bids to find a path forward.

Once Taylor’s Department recommends where to go from here on 141st Street & SR 37, he will report to both the Fishers City Council and Hamilton County elected officials (the SR 37 project is a joint effort including city, county and state funding).

So, two major parts of the SR 37 plan will see completion later this year and the final project is on hold due to bids submitted much higher than estimates.

It will be interesting to see what happens next.