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$12.4 million dollar project begins on St. Rd. 37

By METINA MILLER
The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) officially broke ground Monday for the $12.4 million dollar State Road 37 project. A small shoveling ceremony in honor of the Major Moves Project was held just north of County Road 1550N. The road will be closed from State Road 28 (on State Road 37) to State Road 26.
Where to Detour?
Northbound motorists who normally travel on State Road 37 are asked to either detour over to State Road 9 to State Road 26, or take State Road 13 (from Elwood) to State Road 26 then back onto State Road 37. Southbound motorists should reverse this detour. According to Harry Maginity, INDOT, “We got pretty lucky with this detour. We don’t like to detour motorists onto County Roads, and this time we didn’t have to.”
For the next 90 days, approximately 150 major structural and 12 big box culvert repairs will be underway, according to Scott Sipes, INDOT project engineer. The project spans both Madison and Grant counties.
“For the first 90 days our goal will be to get all the structural issues completed prior to the beginning of the repaving,” Sipes added.
Brooks Construction director, Ryan Shotts, said there are between seven or eight different sub-contractors, ranging from Kokomo to Indianapolis based contractors, scheduled to be working on the structural repairs. Some of the repairs include replacing drainage structures and refurbishing the bridge over Big Duck Creek.
The highway itself will then be milled and built up with three lifts of HMA asphalt. Beyond the 12 foot lanes, shoulders widening to eight feet will also be paved. Turning lanes will be accessible to all County Roads.
Sipes said, “The project has been carefully scheduled so as not to block any residents in their homes. The ends of the driveways, as well as the ditches around the driveways will all be reconstructed.”
Miginity said this $12.4 million dollar project is just one of the $12 billion dollars the state has for highway resurfacing. “Thanks to the sale of the toll road, Indiana is one of the only states right now who actually have money to spend on their highways.”