Poplar Street will be closed Monday

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Driving and parking patterns just south of the courthouse square continue to be altered by ongoing construction work on the South Vine Street streetscape project.

Greencastle Mayor Sue Murray announced Wednesday that the intersection of Poplar and Vine streets will be closed on Monday for at least the day.

Work continues on the Vine Street streetscape project, impacting driving and parking patterns in downtown Greencastle. For example, Poplar Street will be closed where it intersects Vine on Monday.

"Plans are to reopen it -- unless we run into problems," the mayor said of utilities work necessary within that intersection.

Poplar Street will be barricaded at Vine Street south of the Alamo Building on the east end and at the alley behind the fire station on the west.

Doing that will change both parking and driving patterns in the area.

No-parking signs are being put up along Poplar between Vine Street and College Avenue in order to facilitate temporary two-way traffic and allow persons parking in the Putnam County Public Library lot to exit the lot by turning left to get to College Avenue.

The mayor also confirmed that residents of the nearby apartments will be able to park in the old Domino's (last operated as Shonky's Pizza) lot where they can exit onto Seminary Street by accessing the adjacent Ashley Square lot or go west on Poplar via the alley across from the fire station.

Meanwhile, the mayor said one block of Walnut Street (between Vine and College) will be temporarily made a two-way street during the construction. Walnut is normally one-way eastbound in that area.

Walnut Street remains open to two-way traffic west of Vine Street.

Signs also are being put up along the north side of Walnut Street across from the post office, warning drivers not to park facing the wrong direction (east).

Parking tickets ($25 fine) have been issued in that area since parking against the flow of traffic is a violation of city code, Police Chief Tom Sutherlin told the City Council Tuesday night.

"It's been a constant headache, day in, day out," Sutherlin said of the post office area parking issue.

As reported in the Banner Graphic last week, the Vine Street parking lot remains open and can be accessed through its regular entrance currently. Later, a new temporary entry will be made off Walnut Street in order to allow continued use of the parking lot during the height of South Vine Street project.

Vine Street -- in the area between Washington and Seminary streets -- is undergoing a transformation with new sidewalks and pavement and improved drainage conditions throughout the corridor as part of the streetscape effort included in the city's $19 million Stellar Grant.

The project contractor, Schutt-Lookabill Co., Indianapolis, must be done by Oct. 1, according to the contract with new sidewalks being finished by Sept. 30.

In another traffic-related issue, the City Council unanimously adopted Ordinance 2015-2 on second and final reading Tuesday night, modifying one-way traffic on South Indiana Street so that it begins at Olive Street on the north and runs south to Berry Street.

That makes Indiana Street traffic in the section between Hanna and Olive street two-way to better facilitate vehicular flow in and around the DePauw University Lilly Center, Peeler Art Center and Julian Math and Science Center and their adjacent parking areas.

The South Indiana Street change is now in effect as the one-way traffic sign at Hanna and Indiana has been taken down.

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