None Shall Pass

Monday, July 29, 2019
With chip-and-seal work beginning on Monday morning north of Greencastle, U.S. 231 is closed to through traffic between the Putnam County Fairgrounds and U.S. 36. All motorists whose destination does not lie directly on the stretch of 231 in question have been directed around the closure. While the official detour follows U.S. 40, State Road 75 and U.S. 36, a number of alternative routes along county roads are also avaiable. According to the Indiana Department of Transportation, the work is scheduled to last through Thursday, Aug. 1, though it’s unclear what effect, if any, Monday afternoon rains had on the schedule. Once the chip and seal has cured, crews will sweep the highway clear of loose stone, apply a fog seal surface coat and paint pavement markings.
Banner Graphic/JARED JERNAGAN

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  • Dreading....dreading....dreading. Another perk of the summer.

    -- Posted by Queen53 on Mon, Jul 29, 2019, at 6:45 PM
  • Didn't they just repave this and apply rumble strips along the sides and centerline a few years ago? There's nothing wrong with this road, total waste of taxpayer money.

    -- Posted by Ben Dover on Tue, Jul 30, 2019, at 11:09 AM
  • The part that fails is usually the surface layer first. If they wait until it fails, then it has to be milled down 2-3 inches and replaced with new asphalt. That took months to do on 231 from the south side of Greencastle to Cloverdale and cost over $1 million as I recall. This work north of Greencastle to US 36 will prolong the life of the surface (and thereby the entire road), will be done in 4-5 days and cost far, far less than milling and replacing it. If they wait until it looks like there is something wrong with it, we are looking at another million dollar plus project. THAT would be a waste of taxpayer money. Case in point: 231 through Greencastle.

    -- Posted by Geologist on Tue, Jul 30, 2019, at 12:45 PM
  • So... the repaving done just a few years ago already needs life support? Must have been some shoddy work. THAT was a waste of taxpayer money.

    -- Posted by Ben Dover on Tue, Jul 30, 2019, at 8:49 PM
  • Keeping it in good condition longer is not life support, it is preservation.

    -- Posted by Geologist on Wed, Jul 31, 2019, at 5:23 AM
  • VolunteerFF: The only time I've seen a newly paved highway need "preservation" so soon was Hwy 240 a few years ago when the road looked worse after it was paved. What makes this section of Hwy 231 different? I guess next they'll decide 231 from Greencastle to Cloverdale (paved last year) needs a new chip & seal.

    -- Posted by Ben Dover on Thu, Aug 1, 2019, at 11:26 AM
  • If extending the pavement life by 50% can be done at a cost of 20% of replacing it, why wait until it is deteriorated past the point where replacing it is the only option? Asphalt is only good for 10-15 years, this chip & seal should extend that significantly. As for this being "newly paved" that is not the case with 231 north. You are right that we will probably see 231 south needing some work. They had to mill and replace the edges where the rumble strips were put in the wrong place. Some of those patches are breaking down already. That is a waste of taxpayer's money.

    -- Posted by Geologist on Thu, Aug 1, 2019, at 1:13 PM
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