As development has increased, the need for stoplights at Interstate 65 and State Road 44 in Franklin has grown.
By mid-August, traffic signals will go up to bring some relief to the area.
Franklin officials lobbied the state for the light when it became clear traffic accidents in the area were a problem, Mayor Steve Barnett said.
City officials presented the need for a stoplight to the Indiana Department of Transportation early in Barnett’s administration. He became aware of the need as a Franklin Board of Public Works member under former mayor — now INDOT Commissioner — Joe McGuiness.
INDOT agreed the lights were needed after a three-year traffic study that concluded about two years ago, Barnett said. Now, the lights will be added as part of a resurfacing project that begins today on State Road 44 from the Franklin interchange to Shelbyville.
During the three-year study, an average of 25 crashes a year occurred at the on- and off-ramps in Franklin, said Natalie Garrett, INDOT spokesperson. Of those crashes, 77% were rear-end crashes and 13% were left-turn crashes.
There were so many crashes that the yield signs previously installed at the off-ramps were replaced with stop signs temporarily, Garrett said.
The study found that traffic has increased significantly in the area and make it difficult for drivers to find gaps in traffic, especially those wanting to turn left from the off-ramps, Garrett said. Sight distance has also been an issue for vehicles turning right, she said.
Traffic in the area is already a challenge, but it would be even worse without action as more industrial buildings are planned east of the interstate, along with more homes and an apartment complex west of the interstate, Barnett said.
The new light is just one part of the overall plan to improve traffic flow on the city’s eastside, he said.
Soon work will begin on a feasibility study for an interstate interchange at Earlywood Drive, and work will continue on the truck bypass between State Road 44 and U.S. 31 in the coming years.
“We are working on (the interchange) and improving our truck route year after year,” Barnett said. “I see it all coming together.”
Installation of the traffic signals is expected to begin in mid-July.
The lights are part of a larger $6 million project that includes the resurfacing of State Road 44 from I-65 in Franklin to State Road 9 in Shelbyville.
A 0.26-mile section of the road just east and west of I-65 will be fully reconstructed, while the rest of the project will be resurfaced. Work at I-65 is expected to begin on or after April 17.
A bridge about three miles east of I-65 will also be replaced during the project, and the road will be closed for 60 days starting in mid-June.
