Although the closing of Clinton Street next year is a state project, the city is working to ensure commuters have the most options for circumventing a sure traffic headache.
The Indiana Department of Transportation plans to close Clinton Street (U.S. 27) from State Boulevard to Elizabeth Street next spring to improve and straighten the road. The state will soften the curves of Clinton while also raising the bridge over Spy Run Creek nearly 8 feet to prevent flooding.
The work will not allow the street to remain partly open – as is the case during the reconstruction of the Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge over the St. Marys River.
Likely beginning in March, the entire street – which carries more than 22,000 vehicles south toward downtown each day – will be closed for six months. This is estimated to represent about 17 percent of all daily traffic downtown.
The state has set an official detour for the closure, using Coliseum and Washington boulevards, but city officials acknowledge that is more likely going to serve through traffic than people wanting to get downtown.
Shan Gunawardena, city traffic engineer, and other city officials will have a public information meeting next week to discuss the project and its ramifications.
“We recognize that (closure) is going to create a lot of hardship for travelers to downtown,” he said.
The city wants to help provide alternative routes so downtown businesses aren’t hurt by this major street closure.
While city residents might already know their secret shortcuts downtown, Gunawardena said visitors need help getting to their destination without feeling overly frustrated.
Possible alternative routes downtown will be familiar to area drivers – Wells Street, Parnell Avenue and Anthony Boulevard. Gunawardena said the city is even examining converting a section of Spy Run Avenue to two-way to help alleviate congestion, similar to the conversion of Wells Street while Ewing Street was under construction.
The information meeting will be at 6 p.m. Thursday in the council chambers in the basement of Citizens Square. It is open to the public.
Railroad improvements
The local transportation planning board this week approved projects at two railroad crossings to add flashing lights and gates to improve safety.
The improvements will be made on Amber Road just south of U.S. 24 and on Tillman Road, just west of Interstate 469.
The state plans to engineer the projects next year and construct them in 2013. Each project is expected to cost $330,000.
Radio Sage
This week’s bonus audio sage item comes from Jim Leinker, who asks about pedestrian signal counters. The segment originally aired Friday afternoon on WOWO and can be found online at www.journalgazette.net/roadsage.
