For the state, this is the year of buying land through Johnson County for the construction of Interstate 69.
For the county, residents and leaders need to take action now to plan local road projects to prepare for the construction of the new interstate through the Center Grove area.
The final environmental impact study for the interstate from Evansville to Indianapolis was completed and approved last year, and the federal highway department has given the Indiana Department of Transportation permission to start work in Morgan and Johnson counties.
About 200 Johnson County residents attended a 90-minute presentation and conversation at Center Grove High School this week to learn more about what is ahead. The event was organized by Aspire Johnson County, a special initiative of the Johnson County Development Corp. Several people involved in the project, including former Franklin Mayor Joe McGuinness who is now the commissioner of INDOT, members of his staff, community leaders, engineers and planners, spoke and answered questions during the event.
Residents want to know how construction is going to affect already-congested traffic in the area, and when the work will start.
In Johnson County, crews won’t begin building this road this year. Whether work starts next year is uncertain, said Andy Dietrick, INDOT’s public affairs manager.
“The road is coming. There may be some folks who don’t believe it’s coming, but the road is coming, and you have to be in a position to acknowledge this and embrace the opportunities it creates for you, and be as proactive as you possibly can,” said Chris Hamm, a senior planner with HWC Engineering.
“You won’t be able to build all of the roads in White River Township that need to be built. There’s not enough money available. So you’ll have to be strategic in the way you prioritize this project to achieve the best bang for your buck.”
State officials are encouraging local officials to start laying out those projects so they can work toward getting federal funding to help cover some of those costs.
INDOT and its engineers say those priorities should be Morgantown Road and the county’s major east-west corridors, which are County Road 144 and Smith Valley Road.
The local conversations should be focused on aesthetics, such as how the highway will look through the county, the kinds of signs and gateways local communities want to pay for, specific interchange information, whether roundabouts will be added and what road improvements are necessary right away or can be postponed.
“The focus is and probably should be when,” said Scott Manning, a spokesperson for INDOT.
“This blueprint has been known for at least two years. We work with them (local communities), but we don’t dictate what they’re going to do.”
In Johnson County, INDOT will spend 2019 buying 207 parcels that the highway will impact. The team’s deadline to complete that portion of the project is 2020. Crews will start construction on the Martinsville and Morgan County leg of the $1.5 billion highway project this year, and will likely be working in Johnson County by 2021, state workers said.
See Friday’s Daily Journal for more information.
