NEW PALESTINE — Anyone traveling through New Palestine on U.S. 52 knows they’re in for a potentially precarious journey.
The two-lane highway, labeled by county officials as “the most dangerous” road in the county, is narrow. There are many stops in both directions for left turns, and the area is highly congested with semi-trailer trucks and other vehicles. The intersections with County Roads 500W, 550W, 600W and 700W have the county’s highest number of traffic accidents, county officials say.
County engineer Gary Pool noted there is some kind of accident on U.S. 52 nearly every day.
“The nightmare in the county is U.S. 52,” Pool said. “That’s the meat grinder of the county, and while there is infinite need, there is limited state money.”
The Indiana Department of Transportation — which maintains the state highway — is planning an $8 million project along U.S. 52 from Interstate 465 through New Palestine to fix some bridges and install wheelchair ramps in the town. But that work, which could start late this year, will do little to help alleviate the larger issues.
Mallory Duncan, a spokeswoman for INDOT, said traffic engineers are studying options for future changes.
New Palestine town manager Jim Robinson said the town has not yet been contacted by INDOT officials on any suggestions. He reached out to them on Tuesday, June 1, to set up a meeting to make sure the town’s concerns are heard.
Robinson, who drives on U.S. 52 each day to get to work, said the road is in dire need of upgrades. He and other town officials are talking with their own engineering experts to develop a study to present to INDOT to see whether the town can get back on schedule for new work to be done on one of the busiest and most dangerous roads in the county.
“I know personally, when I’m on 52, I keep an eye on the rear-view mirror more than I do looking forward,” Robinson said. “It goes from three lanes to two lanes and kind of bottlenecks.”
Ideally, officials hope the state can add left-turn lanes or center lanes; create “blister” lanes; and add other improvements along U.S. 52 between County Roads 500W and 800W.
“The immediate need is from Gem Road (500W) to at least County Road 650W,” Robinson said.
He added: “It’s just so easy for people to get caught up in going 45 (mph) on that road and then immediately have to stop and be in traffic within a few hundred feet.”
The state has already done major bridge work on U.S. 52, in front of Needler’s Fresh Market near 600W, and widened the intersection at U.S. 52 and 500W, but much more work is needed, local leaders say.
“Those were both great improvements; now we need some more follow-up,” Robinson said. “We’ve got about a mile-and-a-half to two miles where we still have a lot of concern. I just don’t think people realize all the truck traffic that comes through on that road.”
In 2009, INDOT had major plans to widen the highway to four lanes from Post Road in Marion County all the way through New Palestine. Just as the project started, the Great Recession hit, and the project was drastically scaled back. The road was widened through town, adding a center turn lane and sidewalks.
County Commissioner Bill Spalding, who represents the western part of the county, noted local officials are coming up with solutions of their own. Southern Hancock schools, he noted, is adding a back exit for New Palestine High School along Bittner Road to take traffic off U.S. 52. Plans are also in the works to build an extension of Stinemyer Road that would be a bypass for traffic on U.S. 52 near the school complex on 500W. But that project wouldn’t be finished until 2024-25.
Still, Spalding feels the county should not have to try to solve traffic issues on a highway maintained by the state and feels INDOT needs to step up and help.
“I feel like we’re kind of bearing that burden for the state in trying to create a road to take traffic away from the state when it should be the other way around,” Spalding said.
Pool, being pragmatic, said no amount of complaining will ever result in the road being widened to four lanes. There is just not enough room and never will be.
“There is nothing that can be done because people are not going to want to give up their access points to sell their homes or their buildings, and there is not enough political will to make it happen,” Pool said.
Pool said U.S. 52 should have a median through the center of town to limit left turns — as is being done on State Road 9 on the north side of Greenfield — but people who want to head to popular places like Frosty Boy wouldn’t stand for it.
“Do you have any idea how many accidents happen there?” Pool said. “It’s strange. People would rather have an accident, deal with injuries and maybe even death than cut off that access there.”
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“I know personally, when I’m on 52, I keep an eye on the rear-view mirror more than I do looking forward.”
–Jim Robinson, New Palestine town manager
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