Image showing the raised curb height that has some Fortville residents concerned.
Provided photos
FORTVILLE — Officials from INDOT and Milestone provided updates on the construction that is currently taking place along the town’s stretch of Ind. 67 during the the February 5 town council meeting.
Steve Lindway, project manager from INDOT, provided the first update to the council and said that they received comments about the curbing near Broadway Diner. Lindway said that the curbing near Broadway Diner does “look a little funky” because of the drop, but it is “set to the plan.” At that area, Lindway said they have two 11-foot lanes and a 14-foot turn lane in the middle, which is challenging when they look at it, but that they would revisit that area at the end of the project to make sure it is safe.
Vanessa Battaglia, town council member, asked if it was possible to paint the high curb to improve its visibility. However, Lindway said that, technically, INDOT does not paint the curb, and if that was something the town wanted to do, they would have to complete that at a later time.
Another question asked was if they would be able to shorten the height of the curb. Lindway said that if they were to cut down the curb transitioning into the approach where there is flat panel then, potentially, what would happen is someone could drive down on the curb and become stuck. Lindway said that, the way the curb is sitting now, the tire would bounce off the road, but if they were to shorten it, then people would be driving on the sidewalk.
Fred Fentz, town council member, added that if people were to rub the curb in the future, they as a town would be responsible for the curbing and sidewalks.
“Personally, I don’t like the way it looks. I think it looks — I just think it looks like there is a potential for some problems,” said town manager Joe Renner at the council meeting.
Lindway said that if there are any issues between now and the completion date they can go back and address the situation.
Grant Abbott from Milestone also shared an update, saying that starting on Feb. 6 they were to start the 8-inch water line installation, starting on Ind. 13 and heading west.
At the Feb. 5 meeting, Abbott said that they had staged the piping and work and would begin digging the next day. Also, in regards to a driveway and an alley between Oak Street and Main Street, Abbot said that they plan to pour concrete in those areas in April based on the weather conditions.
One person who expressed concerns about a few conditions during the public comment section of the evening was Bob Ferrell, a lifelong resident of Fortville. Ferrell said that a curb located near Madison Lofts has been hit already and could cause damage.
“To me, that’s a Fortville thing,” Ferrell said. “We’ve somehow inspected it, it got through inspection. I recommend that we go back out there and whatever we have to do — if all we have to do is just cone it so that people don’t mistake it for part of the road structure.”
Another worry Ferrell brought to the attention of the council is that two properties on Broadway both have the elevated curbs, and he isn’t sure as to why the curb is elevated in those two areas.
Ferrell said with the elevated curbs down by Broadway Diner, they have already had people hit the curb, affecting the entrance. He added that he spoke with Linley about the curbing earlier before the meeting, and that the concerns would be addressed at the end of the project, but Ferrell said that accidents and tragedies don’t have a calendar.
Ryan Rummell also said he would like to see some alternate options for the curbs.
Ferrell said that when he spoke with Lindway late last year, the higher curbs were made as a field decision.
Battaglia said that she wanted to make a motion to allow a public comment section directly after the INDOT and Milestone updates to ensure that any followup questions from the people who originally asked through the project’s email would be read before INDOT officials at the meetings.
Adelle DuSold, director of stakeholder services at INDOT, said at the meeting that she thinks there wouldn’t be a problem to stay and hear public comments and would speak with the project team about the idea. DuSold said that with INDOT having projects going on across the state, it is unique in providing updates to the town council, but is going well.
DuSold also said based on her past law practices, she believed changes can be made to the contracts and that area supervisors who are also engineers take part in that process.
As far as questions asked as to why something can be changed from the contracts, DuSold told the Daily Reporter that INDOT would provide answers at the next INDOT update with the town council.
The next INDOT update is scheduled to be the first town council meeting in March.
To ask a question about the SR67 project, email [email protected].
