Preliminary planning work tied to a $30 million railroad overpass project at the State Road 46/State Road 11 intersection is underway.
The city, the Indiana Department of Transportation, Strand Associates and Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates Inc., a land architectural firm based in New York, are reviewing right-of-way boundaries for the project, said John Dorenbusch, a member of the Columbus Redevelopment Commission.
The $30 million overpass is being constructed to deal with a projected increase in train traffic through Columbus. The state has agreed to pick up $15 million of the cost, while other partners have chipped in to cover the remaining $15 million — including the city of Columbus, Bartholomew County, Cummins Inc., and the Louisville & Indiana and CSX railroads.
Land-acquisition meetings are also occurring, while INDOT is expected to establish right-of-way and appraisals on properties in the next few months, Hayward said. Plans are being shared with four property owners in the area: Gary Nienaber, the Columbus Park Foundation, Rick Chaille and Webco West, Hayward said.
For more on this story, see Wednesday’s Republic.
