Published: May 20, 2008 11:22 pm         

U.S. 41 cut to 2 lanes until July 2009

$5.9M project at I-70 to begin in about a week

TERRE HAUTE — An interchange improvement project at Interstate 70 and U.S. 41 is about to get under way.

The project will add dual left turn lanes on U.S. 41 for eastbound and westbound traffic onto I-70, and the on-ramps will be widened. Sidewalks will be added along the west side of the interchange.

The project will slightly lower U.S. 41 as it goes under I-70 to provide better clearance for trucks.

It also calls for landscaping and beautification of the four quadrants of the interchange.

The northwest quadrant — which now has a drainage ditch — will feature a gateway, park-like entry to Terre Haute partially funded by the city.

The interchange modernization project “will improve traffic flow at the interchange” and make it safer for motorists, said Debbie Calder, public information officer with the Indiana Department of Transportation Crawfordsville District.

Drivers on U.S. 41 will be affected by construction work at the interchange. In the first phase of the project, northbound lanes will be closed, and traffic will be shifted to the southbound lanes, Calder said. That is expected to occur in about three weeks.

In Phase 2, southbound lanes will be closed, and traffic will be directed to the northbound lanes.

Work on the interchange project should begin within a week, Calder said. Completion of the total project is scheduled for July 30, 2009.

The overall project cost is about $5.9 million, with a significant portion coming from the state’s Major Moves program, Calder said.

A ceremonial groundbreaking is scheduled for 1 p.m. today at the Hampton Inn, 3325 U.S. 41 South.

Among those attending will be Alan Plunkett, Crawfordsville district deputy commissioner, Duke Bennett, mayor of Terre Haute, as well as other state and local officials.

Part of the project calls for beautification and landscaping of the four quadrants, or grassy areas, surrounding the interchange.

The INDOT Crawfordsville district will be responsible for three of those areas, while the city will be responsible for the gateway entry in the northwest quadrant.

Those who exit I-70 from the westbound lane “will see an attractive gateway for the first time ever,” said Pat Martin, chief planner for the city. The gateway project calls for filling in the drainage ditch, although the site will feature a channel of water. The gateway entry will be landscaped and have a trail-type sidewalk that eventually will extend on the west side of U.S. 41 from Third Street and Margaret Avenue to the Honey Creek Mall area.

The interchange work and gateway entry are two separate projects, but the city and INDOT agreed to work cooperatively, Martin said.

The gateway project will use $398,000 in federal funds, which called for a $100,000 match from the city. The city received a credit based on expenditures for preliminary engineering/design work, Martin said.

In addition, the city is using $211,000 from a new trail and greenway fund, Martin said. The total cost is about $711,000.

INDOT will plant wildflowers in the other three quadrants, Martin said. In the future, the goal is to do additional landscaping/beautification work in those quadrants through a public/private partnership, he said.

Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.