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Hamilton County Commissioners recently presented a revised budget requiring an additional $42 million over the original $124 million spending plan for the State Road 37 improvement project.
The now-estimated $166 million project will be funded through a $100 million contribution from the state, with Hamilton County and the City of Fishers – each previously scheduled to pay $12 million – now each paying an additional $21 million.
According to Hamilton County Reporter’s newsgathering partner Larry Lannan, Fishers acknowledged that an update on the construction was recently provided to a joint meeting of the Hamilton County Council and County Commissioners, outlining current costs and projected costs for phases of the project yet to be bid.
“All original intersections will be completed as proposed,” said Fishers city spokesperson Ashley Elrod, in an email to Lannan. “This includes NOT changing the interchange at 141st to a right-in, right-out. Roughly half of the project still remains to be bid, in addition, we are currently enacting cost savings measures that we anticipate will reduce the overall project cost. The city is proceeding as planned and will wait to make any additional cost estimates until the next bid package is released.”
Minutes from a county meeting early this year indicated that city and county officials were at least contemplating the possibility of changing the design for 141st Street and State Road 37 from a roundabout to a right-in, right-out design, where motorists could not cross 141st Street at State Road 37, if there is a budget shortfall.
Lannan said, “Based on the most recent statement from the City of Fishers, the city, which is in charge of construction, plans to construct the roundabout, over 37 at 141st Street, are still in place.”
Commissioner Steve Dillinger said much of the overrun is contributed to drainage issues and property acquisitions, not the intersections.
McKinney
Dillinger
When asked how the county expected to pay for the increased construction costs, County Council President Rick McKinney said, “The county has sufficient cash reserves of nearly $55 million to pay its share of the additional $21 million. The decision rests with the county council whether to use cash or issue new debt. It is my opinion that cash should be used for at least $15 million of it since that was one of the reasons we have accumulated a reserve.”
McKinney expressed his frustration with county commissioners.
“I am very disappointed that the Commissioners chose to keep this information secret until after the election, which undoubtedly aided their candidates,” McKinney said.
Dillinger said, “As we move forward, we are learning more about this project. Understand, the $42 million figure is an estimate, a projection, and not a final figure. We just didn’t have all of the information before the election. The cost overrun isn’t uncommon when you do a project like this. Remember, Carmel had a $50 million overrun when it did the Keystone Avenue project.”
“There have been no quarterly reports provided to the county council on expenses incurred which are mandated by the agreement,” McKinney said. “This project is years behind schedule and costs could escalate even more.”
As part of the project, the intersection of 126th Street and State Road 37 is currently under construction. Three other intersections are scheduled to be rebuilt, including 131st and 141st streets. All three will feature a roundabout and underpass for State Road 37 traffic. Another intersection, 146th Street, will have traffic signals along 146th Street and an underpass for State Road 37 traffic.