By Mitchell Banks
A reconstruction project on West Second Street was discussed during a public informational meeting Wednesday night at the Seymour Community Center.
Officials from Fishers-based engineering firm RQAW, Louisville civil engineering and planning firm Qk4, Indiana Department of Transportation and city Engineer Bernie Hauersperger spoke to the public about the project.
Daniel Kurtz, a project manager for RQAW, said the intentions of the project are to reconstruct pavement that’s deteriorating, address drainage concerns and create better connectivity from Second Street to downtown businesses, Seymour High School and residential areas.
Two roundabouts are going to be built as a part of the project — one at Community Drive and another at Westgate and Airport roads.
From Kessler Boulevard to Pine Street, decorative lighting is going to be added. A 2- to 3-foot bumper strip will be built to accommodate that.
Sidewalks and curb ramps also are going to be updated because they are not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. New traffic signals are going to be added on Second Street, too.
The range of the project goes from Lasher Drive to Second and Community to Pine Street.
The road between Pine Street and the railroad crossing also will be resurfaced.
Currently, Kurtz said the project is in the design phase.
Final plans will be solidified in June 2023, and project bids are expected to go out in September 2023. Construction will begin in the spring of 2024, and the project is expected to be completed in the fall of 2025.
Plans for the project are not final, and Kurtz said public input will be taken into consideration for any adjustments.
The project will be done in phases, and construction is being planned to work around the Seymour High School calendar. Kurtz said the road would be closed in blocks in sections at a time.
The first part that will be closed will be the Second Street and Community Drive intersection to build a new roundabout.
For the next phase, Second Street will be closed from Bryant Boulevard to Emerson Drive.
Second Street from Emerson Drive to Pine Street will be closed after that phase.
Pavement will be resurfaced from Pine Street to the railroad crossing on Indianapolis Avenue.
All property owners affected by construction will have access to their property during this project. Kurtz said they will be notified in time to know when construction will happen close to their areas.
Concern was brought from the public about how farm equipment would be able to go through closed intersections of the project since some construction would be done during crop season and because the area is common for farmers to go through.
Kurtz said a truck detour might be added to alleviate that issue. He said he would look into adding a temporary culvert during construction in response to public concern.
Hauersperger said the city will talk to the owner of Wright Implement to figure out how to allow for better traffic flow for farm equipment during construction.
Alternatives to the project were considered, like doing nothing at all, not having a roundabout at Westgate and Airport and not having a roundabout and Second and Community.
Not doing anything doesn’t address issues that the project intends to fix, and having the roundabouts increases traffic flow and makes the area safer, Kurtz said.
The alternatives also don’t address a pedestrian crossing that’s to be updated because it’s not ADA compliant.
Addressing a concern about traffic being jammed from Tipton Street going into the Second and Community intersection, Qk4 Professional Engineer Andy Gilley said the roundabout will help prevent traffic from being clogged.
“Ninety-five percent of the time with a roundabout here, it’s going to make capacity and travel through this intersection much, much easier,” he said.
He also said a signal will be built close to the roundabout that will signal to the traffic light at Community Drive and Tipton Street when traffic is getting heavy. That will allow for more green time at the traffic light so traffic is less likely to be jammed.
Speaking on behalf of the agricultural community, Donald Cummings, a business owner on Second Street, asked how some of the larger, wider farm equipment will be able to clear the roundabouts.
Gilley said the roundabouts are designed so large semitrailers are able to go through them, so large farm equipment should be able to get through them, too.
He also said successful simulations were done that showed how large farm equipment can go through the roundabouts. Based on experience, Gilley said a previous roundabout he worked on had its plans changed to have a concrete median and a mount so large farm equipment could get through it.
A formal public hearing is planned in the future to address more public concerns. Nearby property owners will be notified about when that hearing will be.