As one roundabout opens in Franklin, an intersection closes to build another.
The newly-built Earlywood Drive and Graham Road roundabout partially opened Monday. The east entrance to the roundabout is closed, while the north entrance is open to local traffic only.
Assistant City Engineer Matt McElroy said the north entrance to the roundabout is only open to local traffic because there is no through traffic to the Paul Hand Boulevard and Graham Road intersection. These two roads are now closed at the intersection for the construction of a roundabout.
The east entrance will remain closed until a separate project, the Graham Road extension project, ties into the completed roundabout, McElroy said. The Graham Road extension is expected to finish before the end of September.
The Earlywood roundabout cost around $2 million and was partially funded with a Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative grant for $213,000. The new roundabout is the latest in a series of roundabouts allowing semi-trucks and industrial park traffic safe passage around downtown Franklin.
As for the Paul Hand Boulevard and Graham Road roundabout, McElroy said the expected completion and opening date is in the middle of November. All work is weather-dependent.
The expected $2.4 million project is spearheaded by Franklin and is jointly funded by the city, Whiteland and Johnson County. The three governments worked together as the intersection is in all three of their jurisdictions.
The both intersections have seen a significant increase in traffic as businesses have been built in area. There are multiple businesses planned or already operating in at the intersection of the two roads, with more likely to develop in the near future.
For more information on Paul Hand project visit this link.
