Published: June 30, 2009 09:49 pm         

Median between north, southbound lanes of U.S. 41 removed near 641 overpass

TERRE HAUTE — If it seems as though something is missing on U.S. 41 South near the new 641 overpass, there is.

The entire median between the north and southbound lanes of the highway near the overpass has been removed as workers construct a new turn lane for vehicles headed south on 41. A deep drop off now exists between the two sides of the highway where a grassy median once ran.

The current construction also has closed the passing lanes of north and southbound U.S. 41 from Woodsmall Road north of the overpass to Harlan Drive about 11/2 miles farther south.

The new, extended turn lane will allow southbound travelers on U.S. 41 to turn east onto Dallas Drive, according to Debbie Calder, a public information official with the Indiana Department of Transportation.

Current construction work has made it impossible to drive across U.S. 41 on Dallas Drive, and after the construction is completed, cross traffic on Dallas Drive still will be blocked at the highway, Calder said.

Traffic regulations require that Dallas Drive be blocked at U.S. 41 to allow for better access to the bypass. However, Calder noted, an emergency vehicle access point will be constructed about 700 feet south of Dallas Drive. That access point will allow emergency vehicles to travel from one side of U.S. 41 to the other on Dallas Drive, she said.

Construction of the new turn lane is expected to last for another three or four weeks, according to an INDOT media release issued earlier this month.

Meanwhile, an environmental impact public hearing is planned for this fall on the next two phases of the 641 bypass project, Calder said. Construction should begin on the final two phases, which include the northeastern section of the bypass near I-70, in 2012.

Completion of those phases is expected in 2014, according to INDOT.

The design work on the final two phases is about 50 percent complete, Calder said.

The 641 bypass meets U.S. 41 just south of Ivy Tech in southern Vigo County. The bypass will connect U.S. 41 with Interstate 70 to the northeast, allowing traffic to bypass several miles of U.S. 41 through parts of Terre Haute, including the commercial corridor that includes Honey Creek Mall and the Walmart area.

The new bypass also will be accessible from McDaniel Road and Indiana 46, according to plans available on the INDOT Web site at www.in.gov/

indot/div/projects/sr641/.

Arthur Foulkes can be reached at (812) 231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.