GREENFIELD — Residents have a chance this week to express their opinions on the design of a beautification project in the works along Greenfield’s main north-south thoroughfare.
The Indiana Department of Transportation in 2020 plans to resurface State Road 9, from Interstate 70 to U.S. 52, and also add several large medians between the interstate and McKenzie Road, replacing the middle turn lane. Instead of asphalt or concrete medians, city officials want to incorporate landscaping.
On Wednesday, from 5-6:30 p.m., the city is having a public meeting in Greenfield City Hall to address the design of the corridor. Members from the city’s engineering and planning departments, as well as the consultants for the project, Hitchcock Design Group, will share the design scope and answer questions.
Jason Koch, city engineer, said the architectural firm has designed a few options for the median landscaping, which includes the area being filled in with grass, flowers, small trees, decorative street lights and small features mimicking the two stone beacons — not the large pillars — at the I-70 interchange. The median beautification project will get phased in over time, Koch said.
City planners have also thought about adding trails and landscaping on both sides of State Road 9, he said.
Residents can also share their ideas on landscaping and signage at the I-70 interchange. The city wrapped up a $1.5 million project at the interstate exit last summer, constructing six large pillars that can be programmed to display different colors at night to welcome drivers to Greenfield. The project was paid for using money from the city’s electric utilities fund and not by raising tax dollars.
The pillar construction was the first phase of a larger project aimed to beautify and distinguish the only entrance to Greenfield off the interstate. Koch said officials also want to add signage and landscaping.
Greenfield City Council candidates during a forum in May differed on their opinion of the effectiveness of the six metal pillars, a project that also hasn’t been well-received by a number of local residents.
The Greenfield Redevelopment Commission’s five-year tax increment financing plan indicates the city could spend $325,000 for the I-70 exit proposal and $300,000 for the median project using TIF funds — tax revenue collected from new developments in a TIF district. Koch said the funding source for each project hasn’t been finalized.
The median installation and road work is expected to cost $4 million, said INDOT spokeswoman Mallory Duncan. The project is scheduled to be bid in January 2020, with construction beginning thereafter.
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WHAT: Public meeting on State Road 9 medians, beautification
WHEN: 5-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 12
WHERE: Greenfield City Hall, 10 S. State St., Greenfield
INFO: City officials and design consultants are seeking public input on landscaped medians in a 2020 project along State Road 9 as well as beautification projects next to the road and near the Interstate 70 exit.
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