Motorists in and around US 31 and 146th Street will soon get a traffic fix that could make getting to and from the area much easier. Hamilton County will break ground on Friday, April 13 on a new ramp that will allow motorists to access southbound Keystone Parkway from 146th Street by traveling south on Lowes Way.
Back in 2002, the county constructed a northbound off ramp from Keystone Parkway to 146th Street via Lowes Way, but improvements to US 31 between Interstate 465 and State Road 38 eliminated access to US 31/Keystone Parkway from Greyhound Pass, forcing motorists to use a more circuitous route. The first phase of this construction project will fix that.
“The long and short of it is you can’t get there from here,” says Mark Heirbrandt, president of the Hamilton County Commissioners. “For years motorists have had to find work-arounds to get where they’re going. This project will give them a straight shot to southbound Keystone.”
Phase I of this project will also connect the northbound Keystone Parkway ramp from 136th Street to the northbound Keystone ramp to Lowes Way/146th Street and change the existing signal at the entrance to Lowes Way to a roundabout.
Phase I has been awarded to Milestone Contractors for $10 million. Federal funds awarded from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization will cover approximately 48 percent of the cost. Hamilton County will cover the remaining cost with local TIF funds. Construction is scheduled to be complete October 2019.
Phase II of the project is scheduled to start in 2021. It will connect the new ramp constructed in Phase I with a Carmel-constructed roundabout at Range Line Road which will create a new connection for motorists wanting to drive east or west between Range Line Road, Keystone Parkway, and Lowes Way.