Construction is nearing completion Friday on Section 3 of the Worthsville Road reconstruction project in Greenwood.
SCOTT ROBERSON | DAILY JOURNAL
Worthsville Road construction in Greenwood is moving along slowly but surely, and residents should prepare for more work next year.
Drivers who use Worthsville Road have had to find alternate routes as the city of Greenwood works to rebuild the entire road during a years-long series of projects that began in 2016. The $9.2 million project is divided into four sections.
The first section, Section 4, was divided into two subsections, 4A and 4B. Section 4A, from Interstate 65 to U.S. 31, and Section 4B, from Collins Road/County Road 250 East to Griffith Road/County Road 325, were completed in 2016. During this construction period a new I-65 interchange was built.
Since June 2020, the city has focused on Section 3, from U.S. 31 to Averitt Road. Construction crews have added a roundabout at the Averitt Road intersection, and are widening Worthsville Road. The less-than-a-mile section is expected to cost about $2 million.
Work on this section was delayed due to the length of time it took utility companies to relocate pipes, lines and cables along the short stretch of road. The city of Greenwood also had to relocate several families in Greenwood Estates, and buy land from Greenwood Christian Church.
They hit pause on the project last winter before starting back up again in June. Work was supposed to start again in March, but was delayed again after contractors encountered utility location-related issues at Tracy Ditch at Summerfield Park, and at the Averitt Road intersection.
Work on Section 3 is divided into three phases. The first phase saw the closure of the Worthsville and Averitt intersection to build the roundabout, which opened to traffic in August.
Phase two started June 21, and stretched the closed section of Worthsville Road further east from Averitt Road to Tracy Ditch. Phase three began in August after the roundabout was completed.
Since then, most of Worthsville Road has been closed between County Road 75 West and Tracy Ditch, and is expected to stay that way until mid-December.
The contractor behind the road work has made significant progress since early summer. While some weather-related delays have interrupted progress in the past few weeks, work continues, said Daniel Johnston, city engineer.
Most of the work to build a new bridge over Tracy Ditch was completed last month. The contractor is still working on a few smaller items, such as railings, Johnston said.
That section of the road will reopen to traffic next month, meeting its initial mid-December deadline. However, residents should expect more construction in the spring as construction crews make some final touches, he said.
“Next spring, the contractor will return to lay the final surface layer of asphalt and permanent pavement markings,” Johnston said.
For Section 2, which stretches from Averitt Road to Honey Creek Road, the contractor has begun clearing trees along the road, and utility companies are already working to relocate utilities, he said.
Major construction on that section is expected to begin in early spring and continue through mid-2023. The construction will require occasional detours, which the city will give advanced notice of as the time gets closer, Johnston said.
Section 1 is still in the early design stages, and an exact location has yet to be determined. The city expects about 30% of it to be designed by mid-2022, so they can begin submitting applications for construction funding, he said.
