Road projects nearing the finish line for winter

The nearly constant sight of road construction equipment in the city during 2023, like this work at the intersection of Locust and Seminary streets in late August, is nearly at an end as the winter season closes in.

Banner Graphic/JARED JERNAGAN

If you’re going over the river and through the woods to grandma’s house for Thanksgiving, a number of Greencastle street projects could still pose a problem.

However, as winter nears, a couple of the road projects are nearing an end themselves.

Greencastle Mayor Bill Dory told the Banner Graphic Monday afternoon that the North Jackson Street project -- which has been punctuated by temporary traffic signals at the north end of Greencastle -- will be completely done by Thanksgiving.

The mayor said he thought the road was going to be reopened early Monday and by 5 p.m. the temporary signals were turned off and construction barrels had been moved to the center of the road.

“Both north and southbound lanes are open,” Dory advised, urging drivers to be careful and noting that work is still under way on the city waterline project at Elizabeth Street.

Meanwhile, the major Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) U.S. 231/Bloomington Street project has shifted into high gear with the Rieth-Riley Construction crew working Saturday and Monday putting down asphalt.

“Barring any problems with the weather,” the mayor said, “the goal is still to get done by the end of the month. If the weather stays good, they’ll hit it pretty good. We’re getting closer.”

As part of an extension of that project, some milling and repair work will be done on Washington Street between Bloomington and Jackson streets, including elimination of the annoying hump in the eastbound lane in front of City Hall.

That will be taken care of, Mayor Dory noted, while other intermittent patching is conducted along the same route. The crew will do “a little bit of milling sometime over the next several weeks before winter sets in,” he added.

That includes work along the section of Jackson Street between the square and the railroads tracks at the north end of town, or as Dory said, “the same footprint as the 231 project.”

The other INDOT effort in town, the State Road 240 project along the concrete section from Indianapolis Road to U.S. 231/Bloomington Street, is also wrapping up, the mayor said.

Some crosswalk markings remain to be done, while repairs to traffic signal loops are also needed, along with a project-finishing punch list of items.

Meanwhile, the annual city street resurfacing effort is coming to a close as well with DC Construction Services completing work on Arlington Street, Kirkwood Drive and Olive Street and others like Jefferson, Elm and Illinois streets and Longcastle Drive, as well repairs to Albin Pond Road nearing the finish line.

The city’s Community Crossings project, undertaken by Feutz Construction and partially funded by a $679,000 state grant, is also “pretty close to done.” Some work remains over the next few weeks on Madison Street, while Hammond Drive, Gardenside Drive, Ohio Street and Poplar Street are finished.

“They’re making good progress, Dory assessed. “They’re on the last street now.”

Feutz has also finished up work for the most part on Locust Street, where a couple of punch-list items -- although nothing of significance, Dory said -- remain to be addressed.