<p>About four years after the City of Greenwood completed work to widen Worthsville Road from Interstate 65 to U.S. 31, it is set to start the next phase of the multi-year, multi-million dollar project.</p><p>In the coming weeks, construction crews will break ground on Section 3, which will stretch west on Worthsville Road from U.S. 31 to Averitt Road, said Daniel Johnston, city engineer.</p><p>The goal of the project, which has long been in the works, is to improve traffic flow through the city. It consists of four phases, numbered numerically in order from the westernmost to easternmost part of Worthsville Road, between State Road 37 and the Shelby County line.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery<p>Construction to widen Worthsville Road from I-65 to U.S. 31 was completed in 2016, and marked the beginning of the project to prepare for increased east-west traffic on Worthsville Road once Interstate 69 is built through Johnson County, along State Road 37.</p><p>As part of that phase, crews added a four-lane, boulevard roadway and eliminated stops between the two highways.</p><p>The city will spend more than $2 million to improve the less-than-1-mile stretch of road from U.S. 31 to Averitt Road. In December, the city chose Reith Riley Construction out of Indianapolis for the project, selecting its $9.2 million bid. The Greenwood Redevelopment Commission approved funding for the road in July, and in December, redevelopment commission members learned the city would be responsible for 20% of the cost, or about $1.8 million. The Indiana Department of Transportation will fund the other 80%.</p><p>Construction crews will widen the road and add a roundabout over the course of two construction seasons with a goal of completing Section 3 by the end of 2021, Johnston said.</p><p>Construction will take place during the spring, summer and fall, both this year and next. Reith Riley will be responsible for maintaining traffic flow during construction, Johnston said.</p><p>Section 2, which will run from Averitt Road west to Honey Creek Road, is in design and land acquisition phases. The city will need to buy property, as it has for sections 3 and 4, to continue widening the existing road. Construction for Section 2 is planned for 2021 and 2022, he said.</p><p>Johnston did not offer a timeline for Section 1, the final phase of the project, which will run from Honey Creek Road west to I-69. The new interstate will connect Martinsville to Indianapolis, and is now slated to open in 2024, replacing State Road 37, according to an Indiana Department of Transportation timeline.</p><p>In addition to the $1.8 million construction price tag, the city has spent — to date — nearly $600,000 on relocation expenses and a major land purchases.</p><p>Along with acquiring land and relocating properties, such as the 27 mobile homes in Greenwood Estates, the city had to relocate utilities, such as power lines, along Section 3. It spent $466,000 to relocate mobile homes, several signs, billboards and a bridge over Tracy Ditch, according to city documents.</p><p>Additionally, the city purchased 3.5 acres of land from Greenwood Christian Church for $126,870. That patch of land sits on the northeast side of Worthsville and Averitt roads, where it plans to add a detention pond and another access road.</p>
