Motorists in and around US 31 and 146th Street now have a traffic fix that should make getting to and from the area easier.
This project began seven years ago with a call from then newly sworn-in Commissioner Mark Heirbrandt. During the ceremony, Altman told the crowd that Heirbrandt had been stuck in traffic on Smokey Row Road and called her, saying he’d found a serious problem the commissioners needed to fix. Now, after innovative financing and cooperation from INDOT, the city of Carmel and Hamilton County, driving in this area just became a great deal less frustrating.
Hamilton County officials held a ribbon cutting on Friday at a new ramp that will allow motorists to access southbound Keystone Parkway from 146th Street by traveling south on Lowe’s Way.
Back in 2002, the county constructed a northbound off ramp from Keystone Parkway to 146th Street via Lowe’s 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,” said Hamilton County Commissioner Christine Altman. “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 also connects the northbound Keystone Parkway ramp from 136th Street to the northbound Keystone ramp to Lowe’s Way/146th Street and changes the existing signal at the entrance to Lowe’s Way to a roundabout.
The Indiana Department of Transportation and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization foot nearly half the cost of the $10 million project. Hamilton County covered the remaining cost with local TIF funds.
Phase II of the project is scheduled to start next month and should be complete in June of next year. It will connect the new ramp constructed in Phase I with a 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 Lowe’s Way.