State Road 46 closed between Spencer, Terre Haute; paving between Ellettsville, Spencer

Erosion that crumbled the asphalt on the edge of the westbound lane of Ind. 46 five miles west of Spencer means a long detour the next three weeks.

The Indiana Department of Transportation this week shut down about 1,000 feet of the two-lane highway, a main east-west thoroughfare between Terre Haute and Spencer. The road is closed between Ind. 246 and Mozart Lane.

Photos of the road show a layer of asphalt put down over the erosion didn't work and is breaking away. Owen County native Anton Neff said that on recent trips to Terre Haute, he's noticed the roadway disintegration getting worse.

"It's been growing, and the last time there was one of those orange barrels between the edge of the road and the guardrail," the Owen County council member said. "I think an INDOT engineer decided it had to be closed now and fixed."

Ind. 46 needs stabilization between Spencer and Terre Haute

A work crew from GeoStabilization International is scheduled to begin a road stabilization project on May 17. It's expected to last at least three weeks, INDOT spokesman Don Connor said Monday.

The project involves using concrete sprayed through high-velocity hoses beneath the road surface, then reinforcing the hard surface with steel bars to shore up the roadway, shoulder and adjacent hillside, Connor explained.

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He said heavy spring rains have contributed to the road's deterioration. Photos from the site show that a previous attempt to repave the unstable road failed, as the asphalt is cracked and broken.

He acknowledged the inconvenience of increased travel time for drivers but said the emergency closure of both lanes was necessary.  "What we worry about most is safety, people's lives," Connor said.

Some motorists were reporting the detour added close to half an hour to their trip.

A stretch of highway about 1,000 feet long, between Chapman Road and Carmichael Lane, is affected. There's no room to route traffic around the project on the existing road.

What is the detour around State Road 46 between Spencer and Terre Haute?

The official and posted detour route for the closure follows Ind. 59 to I-70 to U.S. 231. State and county officials ask that motorists follow the detour and stay off Owen County's rural secondary roads, many of them gravel, which can't withstand extra traffic.

County council member Anton Neff has been hearing from unhappy constituents wondering just how long this detour will last. And some rural residents are upset about safety, given all the cars and trucks on their sometimes precarious, curvy, pothole-riddled roads.

"It creates a more dangerous environment when there are other drivers not familiar with the area. Visibility isn't so good on curves and hills, and we have bridge crossings that have a dip or rise that can be unexpected," Neff said.

"And big trucks are trying to get around on county roads not sufficient for large vehicles, especially with two-way traffic."

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He said locals need to be able to travel to and from their homes safely. Given the nature of the backroads in Owen County, he said it makes sense for people passing through to stay on the official detour.

"It will be faster, and safer," said Neff, even for local residents like him to follow the INDOT signs. "We don't want property damage or accidents or for anyone to be hurt or killed. The chance of that can be reduced. Going the back roads would probably take longer anyway."

Paving between Spencer and Ellettsville on State Road 46

Milling and repaving of an eight-mile stretch of Ind. 46, from the east side of Spencer to Red Hill Road just west of Ellettsville, started this week.

INDOT said there will be lane restrictions with lengthy delays and intermittent travel restrictions until the repaving is complete. The project is expected to last through the end of August. Extra time should be allowed for travel in the area.

Contact Herald-Times reporter Laura Lane at llane@heraldt.com or 812-318-5967.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Ind. 46 closure, lane restrictions Ellettsville, Spencer, Terre Haute