NEW PALESTINE — When officials from New Palestine learned the Indiana Department of Transportation had plans for an $8 million road project along U.S. 52, there was some hope many of their traffic issues along the busy highway would be addressed.
After a meeting requested by New Palestine’s town manager, Jim Robinson, to learn more about the details of the project slated for as soon as 2022, leaders were disappointed. The scale of the work, as it turns out, won’t begin to address the problems that concern town leaders.
Robinson and a consultant for INDOT, Austin Hastings, project engineer from HNTB Corp., met recently to discuss exactly what the $8 million project will entail. New Palestine officials learned the work will mostly be a milling and repaving project with new sidewalks and ramps installed in town to meet federal guidelines.
Leaders would like the work to go much further: sidewalks added to the road over drainage ditches; additional turn lanes or bypass lanes; and other changes to ease congestion.
“Are we disappointed? Yes,” Robinson said, “But, we’re going to remain optimistic that they’ll continue to look at some of the things we have proposed.”
Robinson is working with an engineering consultant to present some suggestions to share with INDOT with the hope state officials might be able to earmark at least some of the funding to install a few turn lanes or add a “blister” or two on the busiest parts of U.S. 52 through town.
Wednesday night, the town council gave Robinson permission to spend up to $5,000 on the engineering plan.
“I think it will help,” Robinson said.
Officials in New Palestine and the county government feel something needs to be done on U.S. 52 to remedy the congestion and lack of turn lanes at County Roads 550W, 650W and in front of the new library, 5731 West U.S. 52.
Steve Pool, the town’s streets supervisor, told the council they would like to see bypass lanes installed in those three places to give drivers a place to go around cars that have stopped to make left turns.
“A bypass lane will stop all those back ups and people slamming on their brakes,” Pool said.
Robinson agreed, noting something has to be done sooner rather than later to make U.S. 52 through New Palestine safer. He mentioned an accident there just this week that stopped traffic in both directions for hours.
“We’ve got a lot of bottle-necking going on there, and it’s very dangerous,” Robinson said. “We really want them to look at these things, but really, it’s just the tip of our wish list.”
Robinson learned the project is slated for what is called a “gloss over” of U.S. 52 from the bridge crossing over Little Sugar Creek on the east end of New Palestine moving west into Marion County.
“In addition to the mill and repaving, all the (handicap) ramps will be brought up to date, for today’s standards,” Robinson said.
So far, the only thing officials from INDOT talked of doing that might alleviate one of the town’s issues is adding some type of sidewalk on the south side of U.S. 52 from CR 500W to a spot across from the McDonald’s and the Speedway convenience store. Those outlets are on the north side of the road, meaning pedestrians would have to cross the busy road to reach them.
“So far from what we’ve seen, nothing that has been proposed will fix any of our congestion or safety issues,” Robinson said. “When they’re done, it may look pretty, but it’s not going to help any of the problems.”
In the long run, U.S. 52 at least needs a center turn lane, town officials said, which they know would require some land acquisition. That would make it a major project for INDOT.
Robinson noted INDOT would be wise to simply delay the $8 million project until it can afford to do some traffic studies.
“Why have taxpayers invest in an $8 million resurfacing when in just a few short years, with all this growth here, the traffic counts will hit and they will have to widen the road?” Robinson said.
