Traffic signal coming to I-65, County Line Road

<p>A new stoplight is coming to a busy intersection that’s about to get even busier.</p><p>The Indiana Department of Transportation will install a four-way traffic signal on the Interstate 65 northbound ramp at County Line Road in Greenwood. No more waiting in a long line of cars to make a risky left turn across oncoming traffic.</p><p>The new light has been a long time coming, said Linda Gibson, a Greenwood City Council member. She has received several complaints from residents about the intersection, which backs up significantly during rush hours. Turning west on County Line is dangerous for motorists.</p><p>Currently, the intersection has a stop sign. The southbound exit ramp onto County Line Road has a stoplight.</p><p>The new light will be installed during the 2020 construction season, which typically starts in the spring, said Mallory Duncan, media relations director for INDOT.</p><p>The I-65 and County Line Road interchange opened two decades ago, in October 1998. At the time, the area was mostly undeveloped, and Greenwood’s population hovered around 34,000.</p><p>Today, the city’s population is pushing 60,000, and more than 4,500 motorists used the northbound ramp daily in 2018, up from about 2,800 in 2017, according to INDOT.</p><p>It is the third most-used ramp at that interchange, following the southbound ramp to County Line Road, which sees nearly 13,000 motorists daily, and the northbound ramp to I-65, which sees about 8,000 motorists daily.</p><p>The state agency received complaints earlier this year. It had already conducted a traffic study in 2018 that deemed the intersection worthy of another stoplight, which was included in INDOT’s most recent five-year plan, she said.</p><p>&quot;Usually, for a traffic study, it only takes one call, especially if there are safety concerns,&quot; Duncan said.</p><p>“We found that the traffic level out there had increased to the point that it was no longer safe.&quot;</p><p>It is not clear yet how much the traffic signal will cost, but it will be entirely funded by INDOT, she said.</p>