Road closure signs are going to be a very familiar and frustrating sight in and around Seymour this spring and summer.
Multiple projects are underway or are slated to begin soon as the city continues to maintain and improve existing roadways and create new infrastructure.
Right now, the intersection of South O’Brien and Centennial streets is closed for a storm sewer repair. That project is being completed by Lawyer Excavation Inc.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
Click here to purchase photos from this gallery“The stormwater manhole had sunk about 10 to 15 inches,” said Jarin Gladstein, director of the Seymour Water Pollution Control facility.
New manholes were delivered this week for installation.
Gladstein said he suspects the problem occurred over time and is due to a combination of soil type and the amount of traffic in the area.
City engineer Bernie Hauersperger of FPBH Inc. said Lawyer has 18 days to get the street reopened, but Gladstein expects at least one lane will open up by the middle of next week.
The repair is one way the city is trying to keep O’Brien Street in better shape before it is dug up and rebuilt in 2025, Hauersperger said.
Burkart
South Bypass
Around April 20, the city plans to close O’Brien Street further south at the intersection of County Road 340N just south of Silgan Plastics for construction of Seymour’s first roundabout as part of the first phase of the Burkart Boulevard South Bypass project.
When complete, the bypass will connect the east side of the city from Burkart Boulevard to Freeman Field and alleviate traffic on U.S. 50.
Phase I of the bypass will include the construction of the new road connecting Burkart Boulevard to South O’Brien Street and a railroad overpass.
Phase II, which will take Burkart from South O’Brien Street west to South Walnut Street and then continue on to Airport Road, won’t get started until 2021.
Phase III of the project includes full pavement reconstruction of Airport Road from U.S. 50 south to G Avenue. Work will begin in May after being delayed a few weeks for gas line relocation. Northbound traffic will remain open for the duration of the project, which is four months.
All three phases are costing about $20 million total, most of which is being paid for through federal transportation grants.
Another closure related to the bypass project is at the intersection of Burkart Boulevard and Hillcrest Drive just south of U.S. 50 (Tipton Street). It began Wednesday and will last for about 30 days as Milestone Contractors completes sanitary sewer work in the area.
A lot of motorists use Hillcrest as a cut-through to cross U.S. 50 and go north on Burkart Boulevard, Hauersperger said.
The project will allow the city to abandon the existing private laterals that run up to Hillcrest and the Burkart intersection, he added.
A new main will be installed to the south and allow for future installation of sanitary sewer lines along the new bypass, Hauersperger said.
State road projects
Beginning on or after Monday, Dave O’Mara Contractor Inc. is expected to begin work on a $1.4 million state project to resurface State Road 258 (Sixth Street) from State Road 11 (Ewing Street) west to the East Fork White River and to restore the concrete pavement on State Road 11 (Ewing Street) between U.S. 50 (Tipton Street) and Interstate 65 north of Seymour.
Crews plan to start with curb ramp removal and replacement along State Road 258 (Sixth Street), followed by patching, milling, removing concrete pavement and repaving. Lane closures will be in effect while work is in progress. Flaggers will be used on State Road 258 (Sixth Street) while temporary traffic signals will be installed on State Road 11 (Ewing Street).
The work is expected to be complete in late August. Motorists should slow down, watch for slowed or stopped traffic and drive distraction-free through all work zones. All work is weather dependent.
“Drivers need to be careful of what is ahead and expect some delay,” Hauersperger said.
U.S. 50
Construction on East U.S. 50 (Tipton Street) is scheduled to begin later this month or early May.
The $15.5 million project will replace 1.25 miles of deteriorating pavement from Agrico Lane near Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill and Bar to U.S. 31. The project is designed to improve traffic flow and make it safer for vehicles and pedestrians traveling through the busy corridor.
As part of the project, a two-way 16-foot left turn lane will be added from just east of Agrico Lane to the Walmart Distribution Center entrance at Sandy Creek Drive. That will require the widening of the existing bridge over Sandy Branch Creek and the elimination of the grassy median through the area.
An 8-foot-wide multiuse path for pedestrians and bicyclists will be constructed on the north side of U.S. 50 along the same route.
Improvements also are planned for the intersection of U.S. 50 and U.S. 31. A dedicated right turn lane for eastbound traffic turning south onto U.S. 31 is going to be added. Also, the turn lane taking traffic from southbound U.S. 31 to West U.S. 50 will be extended, and a concrete island will be constructed to separate the right turn lane from westbound traffic.
The eastbound U.S. 50 ramp to Interstate 65 is being extended to the north, and the interstate bridge over U.S. 50 will be painted. Traffic lights at the intersections of Myers Lane, Sandy Creek Drive, Stevens Way and U.S. 31 will be modernized.
Handicap-accessible pedestrian signals with push buttons that display visual and audible crossing messages will be added at Myers Lane and Sandy Creek Drive as part of the new multiuse path. Lighting at U.S. 31 also will be upgraded.
The project will be constructed in three phases while still providing two lanes of traffic in each direction on U.S. 50. The Interstate 65 interchange will remain open with temporary ramps and traffic signals. Access to commercial properties along the route will not be restricted.
Work is slated to be completed in November 2021, but the contractor will have until June 2022 to close out the entire project.
