Traffic along Worthsville Road, just west of U.S. 31, remains limited to just one lane, but weeks into this year’s construction season, work is halted again.
Worthsville Road Section 3 is a $9.2 million project to widen a less-than-1-mile stretch of the road between U.S. 31 and Averitt Road, and add a roundabout at the Averitt Road intersection.
It was expected to take two years to complete, and city officials are still optimistic it will be completed by the end of the year.
Construction started late last July after a months-long delay due to utility companies taking longer than expected to relocate pipes, lines and cables.
Going into this construction season in mid-March, the contractor found more of the same utility location-related issues at Tracy Ditch at Summerfield Park and at the Averitt Road intersection, said Daniel Johnston, city engineer.
The contractor informed the Indiana Department of Transportation — which is paying for the bulk of the project — that they had no other option but to leave the jobsite until the utility issues were resolved.
The construction site along the road has sat empty since, with the orange barrels directing traffic to one lane still in place, Johnston said.
About 35% of the work is done, mostly on the eastern half of the road, and construction on the roundabout has not started.
Construction should start up again early next month as the utility problems are expected to be resolved by then, Johnston said.
“Every construction project will have some degree of issues arise during the project,” he said. “Occasionally, the utilities are not relocated to the proper location, or possibly not the correct depth, and may result in a conflict found during construction. No one likes the delays, but all parties have to work together for a resolution.”
Roundabout construction should start once crews begin work again in June. That work will be completed in two phases, starting with the northern half of the intersection and finishing with the southern half. Traffic will be maintained on Worthsville Road throughout, Johnston said.
The goal still is to finish the bulk of the construction by the end of the year. The timeline is not significantly affected by the delay, he said.
Worthsville Road’s reconstruction is years in the making, with the goal to give the City of Greenwood a major east-west corridor.
Greenwood spent about two years preparing for this section of the project, which forced several families out of their homes. The city purchased and demolished or relocated 27 mobile homes along this stretch of the road, making room for the project and costing taxpayers about $466,000.
The city also bought about 3.5 acres of land from Greenwood Christian Church, which owns 66 acres on the northeast side of Worthsville and Averitt roads, for $126,870.
Overall, Greenwood will spend nearly $2 million to improve the less-than-1-mile stretch of road on the southwest side of the city.
Indianapolis-based Rieth-Riley Construction Co. was selected for the project with a $9.2 million bid. The city is responsible for 20% of the cost, or about $1.8 million, with the state covering the other 80%.
The Worthsville Road project consists of four phases, numbered numerically from west to east between State Road 37 — soon to be Interstate 69 — and the Shelby County line. Improvements to the entire road through the county is expected to cost upwards of $20 million.
Construction to widen Worthsville Road from I-65 to U.S. 31 — Section 4 of the project — was completed in 2016, marking the start of the project to prepare for increased east-west traffic. As part of that phase, crews added a four-lane roadway and eliminated stops with a new roundabout between the two highways.
Section 2, from Averitt Road to Honey Creek Road, is up next. Letting for that contract opens later this year, and it is expected to cost about $10 million.
