LAWRENCE, Ind. – INDOT leaders are looking to do some work along a five-mile stretch of U.S. 36 and State Road 67 between I-465 and 65th Street.
The project, referred to as “Pendleton Pike Progress,” is still a ways out, but INDOT leaders want to help inform the public and get feedback on the upcoming effort. There will be a public hearing on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the Lawrence Government Center.
INDOT wants to focus on left turns to high traffic areas and improve safety and traffic flow. According to the department, crash reports over the last three years show areas with crash rates and severity higher than the statewide average.
“Safety is our biggest thing and also efficiency as well,” said Kyleigh Cramer, INDOT public relations director of Greenfield. “We’re seeing a lot of people on this road, and we’re seeing some accidents that are caused because it’s a high traffic corridor.”
INDOT says Pendleton Pike has become a bit of a dangerous roadway. Right now there are two lanes on both sides with a middle merge lane. The department says left turns across two lanes of traffic have become very dangerous.
“We’re seeing this kind of aggressive driving,” Cramer said. “There’s a lot of people on this road. There’s a lot of things that constitute to a crash: texting and driving, not paying attention, aggressive driving. So really what we’re seeing is everything is just adding up to make a crash, enough crashes that it’s becoming a safety hazard.”
The project would feature a concrete median in the middle of Pendleton Pike, preventing dangerous left turns. All turns would be done at lights or legal “U turns” instead. There would also be some sidewalk and intersection improvements.
“The biggest thing we’re trying to encourage is safety in that area,” Cramer said. “And that’s why we have public information meetings; to show people our understanding of this area and kind of get their opinions as well.”
INDOT leaders want to hear from local drivers so they can receive feedback and concerns from people who frequently drive on this roadway.
“People are actually able to sit down with our project design team and tell us their experience on the corridor,” Cramer said. “Tell us what they hate about our design or what they like about our design, what they think should be in the design, things of that nature.”
The project is not scheduled to start until 2024 and is expected to last up to two years.
Read More: Pendleton Pike project meeting