Carmel, Westfield mayors: US 31 project facing significant delays

Carmel, Westfield mayors: US 31 project facing significant delays

By Kevin Kane
Current in Carmel


 

Jan. 7, 2010


 

Construction is scheduled to begin on U.S. 31 in 2011 as part of the Major Moves program, to improve traffic flow, decrease accidents and promote economic development. However, Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard said he was asked to participate in a special meeting with two INDOT officials in late 2009, during which he was told much of the road construction was suddenly pushed back to 2017.


 

Funding for the Major Moves program is planned to last through 2015, but if construction is moved to 2017, Brainard said he’s afraid that would mean any delayed portions of the U.S. 31 project would be past deadline and therefore unfunded, including all work in Carmel.


“It would appear to us that there is no funding right now,” he said. “We are very disappointed with this.”

Brainard said he hasn't received an updated version of the construction schedule, and INDOT spokesman Will Wingfield, who Brainard said was one of the two individuals who called the meeting, didn’t agree with the entirety of Brainard’s recollection. He said INDOT met with Brainard and Westfield Mayor Andy Cook at a later date to get their respective input on the project and to hear their priorities. While he acknowledged that some aspects of the project have been moved to 2017, he stressed that the plan is not finalized.


“When you’re talking about construction projects of this size, it’s hard to have concrete plans when looking a few years into the future,” he said. “It’s still a draft at this point.”

 

Cook said his interpretation of his meeting with INDOT was similar to Brainard’s, and he expressed his frustration with the potential postponement.

“It’s terrible,” he said. “It has further rendered this project uncertain with a capital ‘U.’”


Cook said he was very excited after first hearing of the Major Moves program because he said there is more potential for economic growth in Hamilton County than anywhere in the state. The U.S. 31 project, he said, would help promote that growth, but it is also necessary for safety. Cook said too many accidents occur along U.S. 31 for the safety of travelers to be overlooked.


“55 miles per hour and stop lights just don’t match,” he said.


Cook and Brainard said they are trying to work with the state to get all of the construction moved back within 2015 and ensure the project remains funded. Brainard said he’s open to multiple resolutions but stressed that the project has to be done right, that certainty be provided to the businesses along U.S. 31 and that the two sides reach an agreement quickly.


“All options are on the table,” Brainard said. “This isn’t good for Carmel, and it isn’t good for the state.”