16th Street Realignment Start Date Uncertain


(posted Feb 29)

Nobody is in exact agreement when it comes to the time frame to start construction on the realignment of 16th Street. Mansur Real Estate Services President Chuck Cagann told the Old Speedway City Neighborhood Association at its February 4 meeting that 2008 would be devoted engineering work with construction to begin in 2009.

When questioned by the town council at a February 11 town meeting, Executive Director Scott Harris informed them that right-of-way acquisition would happen in the summer and construction would start in October. The road should be completed in the fall of 2009.

Harris told the councilors that they were basically waiting for the MPO to complete the review of the air quality report to be included in the amended thoroughfare plan. According to Council President Gary Raikes, once it is approved, it comes back to council for funding approval.

According to the Lori Miser of the Department of Public Works, the plan, including the roundabouts, is still being evaluated. She said the city has nothing budgeted for the project because "it is our current understanding that the SRC is funding it themselves." She said costs have not yet been determined for the realignment. The project is not on any list for federal funds.

She said construction could "potentially" could start in October if everything is agreed upon. However, they are not at the point yet to evaluate the closing of Georgetown Road.

She said the MPO oversees the projects that receive federal funding.

Road construction projects scheduled through 2009 will not be affected in the short-term by the down turn in the economy, according to Mike Dearing of the Metropolitan Planning Organization.

However, that does not mean all is well. Dearing explained that the federal highway trust fund is expected to be depleted in 2009 because the money has been used to fund the Iraq War and to repair the road infrastructure destroyed by Katrina.

According to Roth Ansers of the MPO, "we have been anticipating amending the regional plan to incorporate the Speedway projects, as well as incorporate project changes from INDOT that we know are in development." Ansers explained that the amendment process is time consuming, so the MPO will wait until all the information is received to start the process.

"However, INDOT is several weeks behind in submitting their proposed amendments to us. Conversations with INDOT staff indicate that a date for submittal of these amendments is still unknown, and MPO staff is unsure of how to proceed."

Ansers went on to say that the SRC is correct to say that Gilman and Grande Avenue are not considered significant and therefore do not need to be included in the plan as well as 16th Street.

Department of Metropolitan Development Public Information Officer John Bartholomew explained that "insignificant" is a federal term that means the realignment will not change traffic capacity or air quality, not that 16th Street is not an important road.

According to Larrisa Heller DNR, the project is in its early coordination process with the DNR's Division of Fish and Wildlife. The project will be reviewed by the division of water and fish and wildlife during the permit process but as of now a permit has not been filed. The DNR will not be conducting the in-house aquatics study because Fish and Wildlife has requested a Quantitative Habitat Evaluation Index and a mitigation plan be developed for Dry Run Creek. She said the study would be conducted by an agent (the SRC) or its contracted firm (American Structurepoint.) On November 6, the SRC entered into a contract for an aquatics study and the surveying work for the realignment of 16th Street.