GREENFIELD — The Indiana Department of Transportation is set to begin working overnight on patching State Road 9 in Greenfield starting Monday, Oct. 19.
The work is part of the preparation for a planned median project on State Road 9 that will change the complexion of the major thoroughfare on the north side the city. To create the minimum amount of traffic disruption, the repair work that begins next week will take place at night, from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., according to the Indiana Department of Transportation.
Patching will take place from the Interstate 70 interchange all the way to County Road 100S. Contractors will start in the northbound lanes for 10 days, then move to the southbound lanes.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
No full closures are planned during the work. Drivers are advised to watch out for flaggers on the road and road construction crews.
The addition of a median to State Road 9 was originally scheduled for 2020, but the work was pushed back because INDOT did not want to begin the project while work was still being done on Interstate 70.
INDOT plans to remove the middle turn lane at seven locations on State Road 9, replacing it with a landscaped median and designated left-turn lanes. The city of Greenfield has agreed to pay for the design, installation and upkeep of the medians. New sidewalks will also be installed on the west side of the road.
While that work is being completed, State Road 9 will be closed to non-local traffic.
Some Greenfield residents have expressed opposition to the project, including at a public meeting in 2019, where many said the state should instead allocate its dollars to building a bypass around Greenfield that would get large trucks out of the downtown area.
When more significant construction on State Road 9 will occur is still not certain. Mallory Duncan, a spokeswoman for INDOT, said the dates will likely be determined after the beginning of 2021. The work is set to take one “construction season,” the period between May and October when major work can be completed without worry about snow.
“They don’t have a set-in-stone date for those closures yet,” Duncan said.
Parameters are also not yet set for what portion of the road will need to be closed, she said.
Hancock County engineer Gary Pool said there are enough entrances to State Road 9 and enough roads running parallel that he is not concerned about major traffic disruptions.
“I think they’ll do a decent job,” Pool said.
Greenfield street commissioner Tyler Rankins said the city could expect some additional strain on its streets.
“I’m sure it’s going to create more traffic and people will try to stay away from State Road 9,” he said.
Signs advertising an alternate detour route will be available for trucks and other vehicles whose journeys may take them through Greenfield. While the southbound lanes are closed, they are advised to take U.S. 52 to I-465 back to U.S. 40. While the northbound lanes are closed, they can take I-70 east to State Road 109 in Knightstown to I-40.
“It’s kind of out of the way, but it keeps those trucks on state highways and interstates as opposed to local streets,” city engineer Jason Koch said.
For more local traffic, Koch advised drivers to consider using Apple and Franklin streets as north-south detours.
“Most people will find their own way,” he said.
Entrances to residences and businesses that can only be accessed on State Road 9 will be maintained by INDOT.