About 100 people filled the seats last week at Edinburgh Community High School’s cafeteria to hear about an estimated $8.7 million dollar project to improve State Road 252 in Edinburgh.
The project will include repaving the road, adding sidewalks to both sides of State Road 252 between Eisenhower Drive to Lincoln Street, widening the road and installing new inlets to improve storm drainage, Indiana Department of Transportation officials said at the meeting.
Bids will be collected and utilities will be moved to prepare for construction in 2024 and construction would begin on the project the following year. Construction would be expected to conclude in summer 2026. The project will be broken down into three phases, but the exact timeline for each phase is still to be determined, INDOT officials said.
The first phase will run from State Road 252’s intersection with U.S. 31 to State Road 252 and Eisenhower Drive. That phase will include widening of travel lanes and resurfacing of pavement. The second phase, stretching from the Eisenhower Drive to Lincoln Street, will include the greatest range of work, including pavement resurfacing, lane widening, sidewalk construction and drainage improvements. The third phase, from the intersection of State Road 252 and Lincoln Street to 0.2 miles west of Interstate 65, will include pavement resurfacing, widening lanes and installing a new culvert, INDOT officials said.
Three homeowners and one business owner will have to relocate as a result of the project, INDOT officials said.
The working engineer’s estimate for the project is $8.7 million, which would be paid for with state and federal funds, INDOT officials said.
Several residents asked questions about the project and how it might impact the town at the April 27 public information meeting.
Resident Andrew Knox voiced concerns about the project, sharing fears that widening the road would lead to people speeding through town.
“How will you guys deal with the speed factor?” Knox said. “This will make the roads nicer, but we already have a speeding problem where they don’t stop. With (widened) turns and all that, I think it will increase. With truck drivers, when they try to turn right, they destroy the roads no matter what. What’s the point of a new (turning) radius if we’ll have the same problem in five years?”
The project will have a net benefit for Edinburgh residents, said Natalie Garrett, INDOT spokesperson.
“This will improve the roadway, reset the life of the pavement of 252, improve safety for pedestrians with sidewalks along the roadway and improve drainage,” she said. “It’s an investment in the community and an improvement of safety for the community of Edinburgh.”
