Yearlong construction project coming to Ind. 37. Find out where and why.
A construction project on Ind. 37 south of Bloomington will improve safety, according to state officials, but the yearlong project also will reduce the number of travel lanes.
Here are the project details:
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Where is the construction project?
The project will be at the intersection of Ind. 37 and Dillman Road, about 1.5 miles south of the Interstate 69 interchange.
The project will cover roughly 2,200 feet on Ind. 37.
When will the road be under construction?
Indiana Department of Transportation officials said they expect to obtain bids sometime this fall, with construction slated to begin in spring 2024 and to end in spring 2025.
How will the project change the intersection?
The project essentially will prohibit drivers from turning left from Dillman onto Ind. 37. Instead, drivers who want to turn left will have to turn right first, then merge into a left turn lane and perform a U-turn to head into the opposite direction.
INDOT officials said that prohibiting drivers from turning left will increase visibility, reduce the number of travel lanes drivers have to cross and, therefore, reduce the number of potential conflict points.
Lanes will be restricted during construction, but INDOT said that at least one lane in each direction will be open.
Why is the state making the changes?
INDOT officials said accident frequency and severity at the intersection is noticeably higher than at other similar intersections in the state. The intersection has seen 38 accidents in the past five years. Nearly a third of the crashes involved left turns.
Dave Burnworth, 69, who occasionally uses the intersection, said INDOT’s proposal is “probably the best alternative at this point.”
Burnworth, who has lived in the area since 1995 and attended a recent presentation at Ivy Tech, said the intersection has seen too many accidents.
“Something has to be done,” he said.
Chris Martin, a project designer with INDOT, said in a video that the agency chose the reduced conflict intersection with no left turn from among six options, which included traffic signals, a roundabout and no changes.
INDOT said similar improvements at seven other intersections in the state reduced the number of crashes by an average 68% and the number of serious crashes by an average 81%.
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How much will the project cost?
The project will cost just under $1.8 million, with 90% of the cost being paid through federal dollars. The rest will be paid by state funds.
How can you provide input on the project?
You can provide comments on the proposed project until May 31 by contacting INDOT at 855-463-6848 or indot@indot.in.gov. You can find out more about the project at tinyurl.com/mrk4zapn.
Boris Ladwig can be reached at bladwig@heraldt.com.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Yearlong construction project coming to Ind. 37. Find out where, why.
