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IMS Campus Requires Stream Relocation
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(posted Oct 31)
Two commercial properties on 16th Street will be eliminated in order to
reroute Dry Run Ditch to "create a unified campus for the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway."
The proposed rerouting of Dry Run Ditch on the south side of 16th Street is pending approval
by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. The plan is open
for public comment until November 6 to discuss water quality issues.
The proposed S shape channel will take out Speedway Monogramming and the
former Jud Logan's, located at 4601 and 4501 W. 16th Street. American Structurepoint's
plans submitted to IDEM do not show the two existing buildings, but all
other existing and proposed features are shown.
IDEM PIO Amber Kent Finkelstein said, "As far as the two building locations are concerned, I'm told that the property will be acquired by the town of Speedway. This particular plan was submitted as the most feasible for the project. IDEM's role is to verify that there will be no adverse effects to water quality as a result of this project. The town of Speedway proposed the relocation of existing Dry Run in order to relocate 16th Street and Polco Road, and to install the proposed roundabouts."
The public notice states the 16th Street relocation is to address security issues and to "create a unified campus for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway."
She explained the final design is a collaborative effort by several firms
and the town. "Several renditions of plans and stream layout were
designed by American Structurepoint before the final design was chosen,
and this final design was submitted to IDEM, the US Army Corps of Engineers,
and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources."
The plan calls for an open two staged channel to handle the increased capacity.
Environmental issues were raised because the site was a racetrack in the
1950s. The town also has wells bordering Little Eagle Creek. The new channel
will empty into Little Eagle Creek approximately 100 yards further north
than its current location.
Finkelstein said "The town of Speedway is aware that a portion of the project area was used for a small racetrack in the past. Soil borings for geotechnical purposes were performed in the area of the new channel. While these borings were not performed for hazardous substance detection, the geotechnical report did not indicate the presence of subsurface contamination (Underground Storage Tanks (USTs), leaking USTs, or obvious contamination)."
Finkelstein explained the town prepared a Hazardous Waste Screening Document
that identified any potential problem areas relating to hazardous waste
and petroleum products.
The existing stream bed will be eliminated with backfill.
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