Road work ahead: Mooresville looks to improve safety at Monroe, Carlisle intersection
MOORESVILLE — A busy intersection near several local schools, a gas station and restaurant could get new sidewalks and a pedestrian crossing signal under a proposal from the town of Mooresville.
Mark Butler, project manager with Banning Engineering, presented the plan to Mooresville Town Council on Tuesday, June 21.
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Last year, the town applied for funding from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization to put toward traffic improvements at the intersection.
While the project scored well, it was denied funding in favor of other projects in higher-trafficked areas, Butler said.
The goal behind the improvements was to slow down traffic coming into town from North Monroe Street by implementing traffic calming measures, such as narrowing traffic lanes and installing a pedestrian crossing signal activated by a push button.
A traffic light is not warranted at the intersection due to the overall low volume of traffic in the area, Butler said; however, many children walk along the road during school hours, and a blinking yellow pedestrian crossing signal would force drivers to slow down or stop altogether during peak usage.
Members of the Mooresville Town Council agreed.
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While there have been no documented fatal crashes at the intersection, a crossing guard was struck by a car last month in front of Newby Elementary School just south of the intersection, councilman Shane Williams noted. She came away with minor in
"I think the sidewalks are a huge need in that area for all the schoolchildren that go through there," Williams said.
A Subway restaurant, Marathon gas station and the Mooresville Post Office are also located at or near the intersection.
The project would cost around $1.34 million. The Mooresville Redevelopment Commission has offered to cover the cost of professional engineering, and the town can apply for funding from the state's Community Crossings Matching Grant program, which offers funding to municipalities to make improvements to local roads and bridges, Butler said.
The town would cover the 25% match, which amounts to roughly $395,000, based on cost estimates.
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The project could also involve a right-of-way acquisition, which would be an additional cost incurred by the town, Butler said, but he is hoping the town can come to an agreement with the property owner to allow access onto the property in exchange for making transportation improvements.
"We could potentially get away with a transportation easement where there’s no transfer of land ownership," Butler said.
In addition to installing sidewalks and a crossing signal, a small monument sign would be put up to welcome residents traveling southbound on North Monroe Street. This could also serve as a traffic calming measure as it would encourage drivers entering town to slow down, Butler told the council.
The Mooresville Consolidated School Corp. is supportive of the project, but it's unclear if they'll contribute funding to it, Councilman Dustin Stanley said.
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The council voted 5-0 to allow Banning Engineering to develop professional designs for the project and move forward with an application to the Community Crossings program.The deadline to apply for the next round of funding is July 29.
Contact reporter Peter Blanchard at 765-346-2942 or pblanchard@reporter-times.com. Follow him on Twitter @peterlblanchard.
This article originally appeared on The Reporter Times: Mooresville eyes safety improvements for busy intersection
