A crowd of about 70 people watched, listened and asked questions about the status of the plans to upgrade State Road 37 in Fishers. Officials from RQAW, American StructurePoint, IMAVEX and the City of Fishers all shared the latest information, but there were some questions still left unanswered.
First, there will be construction along SR 37 this spring and summer to relocate utility lines. This may look like the construction on the interchanges has begun, but be aware this will only be utility work.
There are some projects close to SR 37 that will be finishing up this year. The intersection improvement at 126th Street and Allisonville Road should be completed by July of this year. The construction of a roundabout at Parkside Drive and 126th Street is set for completion in September this year. Intersection improvements at 131st Street and Allisonville Road should be done by July of this year. Intersection improvements at 146th Street and Allisonville Road are not expected to begin construction until 2022 or 2023.
Rendering provided
The roundabout at 126th Street and SR 37 is expected to begin construction in September of this year, with 126th Street open to traffic east and west for the remainder of this calendar year. In 2020, expect a full year closure of 126th Street. SR 37 will have two lanes open each way during the construction period. Access to 126th Street from SR 37 will vary at different phases of the construction. This project, from beginning to end, is expected to take 18 months.
The SR 37 roundabout interchange at 146th Street will take longer to construct, because plans call for both SR 37 and 146th Street to remain open to traffic during construction. Work on that project should get underway in November of 2019 and see completion in late 2021.
Two interchanges are to start at about the same time, August of 2020, at 131st and 141st streets. The 131st Street interchange is expected to be done by the end of 2021 and 141st Street in late 2022, due to a staggered construction schedule. The 141st Street roundabout interchange will be one-lane in the latest plans, consistent with previous plans.
IMAVEX is handling the marketing campaign for businesses located in the construction area. $500,000 was approved as part of the bond funding the SR 37 improvements to pay for the marketing push. Paid ads for these businesses will begin during June of this year, according to IMAVEX.
The first question from the audience was about Mundy Drive, a commercial area just east of SR 37, with the questioner asking why both 141st and 146th Streets appear to be sealed off from Mundy Drive. This is a question planners know must be handled, but how access to Mundy Drive will be designed is not yet part of the plan, but is under consideration. In other words, no answer yet, but those planning construction are aware of the problem.
The next question was about 141st Street, since it is likely to see an increase in traffic once the 126th Street work begins later this year, with apartment complexes and the Country Fields of Fishers Condo neighborhood possibly locked in by traffic. Officials said if such traffic issues arise, placing temporary traffic signals or stop signs are options to deal with that.
The next questioner asked about how school bus schedules might be impacted by all this work, and the response was that Hamilton Southeastern Schools is working closely with the construction planners and the schools will communicate any time changes for buses.
Everyone living in or near the State Road 37 area of Fishers has known about the coming construction along that heavily-traveled roadway for some time. Some facts we know, others will be coming later.