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Long-awaited stoplight planned for city intersection in 2018
Not many undertakings or announcements ever elicit applause at Greencastle City Council meetings, especially among Council members themselves.
But Thursday night at City Hall, at least a smattering of applause broke out among the Council after Mayor Bill Dory announced that a long-sought stoplight for the State Road 240-Percy Julian Drive/Zinc Mill Road intersection is scheduled to become a reality in 2018.
The traffic signal would replace the four-way stopsign established in 2010 at the busy intersection adjacent to Greencastle Middle School and Ivy Tech State College.
The stoplight is listed on an Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) project list for Putnam County that Gov. Eric Holcomb released Thursday as part of the state's Next Level road construction program.
"Officially, in black and white, we will be getting a traffic signal at State Road 240 and Percy Julian Drive," Mayor Dory said, adding that the project is "a $178,000 investment by the state."
The stoplight comes on the heels of recent developments south of the intersection, including the new Whispering Winds Subdivision, located beyond Woods Edge subdivision off Zinc Mill Road at County Road 200 South, and the announced second phase of the Zinc Mill Terrace apartment complex.
Timing of the stoplight will also coincide with the construction of the new Greencastle Community School Corporation bus barn off the west end of Tennessee Street at State Road 240.
Other planned Next Level projects that will impact Greencastle include:
-- Resurfacing of U.S. 231 from Doe Creek near State Road 42 (just south of Cloverdale) to State Road 240/Veterans Memorial Highway in Greencastle, a $3.86 million project for asphalt overlay and preventive maintenance of the pavement. Scheduled for 2018.
-- Resurfacing of U.S. 231 through Greencastle, starting just north of State Road 240/Veterans Memorial Highway and continuing 1.56 miles north. Scheduled for 2019, it is listed as a $606,000 project for asphalt overlay and preventive maintenance of the pavement.
Councilman David Murray asked if the latter project would include fixing the infrastructure beneath the highway.
"We don't know yet," Mayor Dory responded.
However, with the project listed as a $606,000 venture, it seems unlikely it would include more than asphalt work.
In other road work-related business, the Council unanimously approved the submission of projects for Greencastle's 2017 Community Crossings application/2018 project implementation. Those proposed projects are:
-- Indianapolis Road, from Wood Street to Percy Julian Drive, for road widening, overlay, curb and gutter and adding sidewalks to one side, $760,000.
-- Franklin Street, from Jackson Street to Indianapolis Road, for spot milling and patch, spot overlay, crack and seal coat, $281,000.
-- Fifth Street, Indianapolis Road to Avenue E, for overlay, add curb and gutter on one side and storm drain work, $480,000.
-- College Avenue, from Washington Street to Shadowlawn Avenue, spot milling and patch, spot overlay, add curbs, crack and seal coat, $255,000.
Then, as a fifth project, the city plans pavement preservation to seal cracks and treat the surface along:
-- Capital Drive, from State Road 240 to County Road 250 East (Edgewood Lake Road), $66,000.
-- Fillmore Road, from State Road 240 to city limits at County Road 25 South, $75,000.
-- Locust Street, from Berry Street to Hanna Street, $45,000.
-- Walnut Street, from Gillespie Street at the west end of Greencastle to Locust Street, $45,000.
-- Redbud Lane, from Terrace Lane to Shadowlawn Avenue, $16,000.
Total cost of the proposed Community Crossings projects would be $2,023,000, with $1 million proposed coming from the Community Crossings program and a city match of $1,023,000.
If the project wins state approval, the city would use $463,000 in funds from the Redevelopment Commission, $360,000 in Motor Vehicle Highways funds and $200,000 from a special LOIT (Local Option Income Tax) distribution.