EDEN — Drivers who travel on State Road 234 through Hancock County will need to seek an alternative route this summer.
A roughly half-mile section of one of the county’s main east-west thoroughfares will be closed for about 60 days as crews complete a roughly $500,000 project.
The Indiana Department of Transportation will close the road between State Road 9 and County Road 250E to repair a drainage culvert beneath the road.
The culvert, which needs to be replaced, directs water to Barrett Ditch just east of State Road 9 near Eden.
The road is expected to close following the Fourth of July. It should reopen by the end of September, a news release states.
In the meantime, crews will be working in the area to clear right of way and relocate utility service lines, so drivers should use caution when traveling on State Road 234 near State Road 9, officials said.
The department awarded the project to Calumet Civil Contractors in Whitestown; replacing the culvert is expected to cost about $565,0000, a news release stated.
Some 3,000 drivers travel on the road in the construction area daily, Indiana Department of Transportation traffic counts show, and those drivers will need to seek alternative routes.
But taking State Road 9 north to avoid the construction won’t be an option, officials say. The highway is scheduled to close to all but local traffic in June between State Road 234 and Pendleton to rebuild a bridge over Lick Creek in southern Madison County; while much of State Road 9 will be construction-free, INDOT has opted to close the entire stretch of highway to any traffic passing through, officials said.
The bridge is located about two miles north of Hancock County, between Madison County roads 1050S and 950S. State Road 9 will be closed in the area for up to 150 days, INDOT officials say.
To avoid the State Road 234 construction, travelers should use State Road 109 near Wilkinson and U.S. 36 near McCordsville, the department advises.
Drivers traveling east should take U.S. 36 to State Road 38 to State Road 109. Drivers traveling west should take State Road 109 to State Road 38 to U.S. 36.
The Indiana Department of Transportation is required to use state roads and highways when mapping detours, said Hancock County Highway Engineer Gary Pool. Local drivers can use county roads to avoid the road closure, he said.
Eastbound drivers can take County Road 50W or Meridian Road to County Road 900N to County Road 400E back to State Road 234.
Westbound drivers can take County Road 400E to County Road 900N to County Road 50W back to State Road 234.
No construction is planned for those roads, county plans show.
Pool advises drivers avoid using County Road 700N as a detour, as paving on the road will be ongoing during that time.
