INDOT to have public hearing on railroad overpass

The Indiana Department of Transportation will have a hearing to receive public comment about the planned railroad overpass for the State Road 46/State Road 11 intersection west of downtown Columbus.

The hearing will be at 6 p.m. May 29 in the Cal Brand Meeting Room at Columbus City Hall. Comments are being sought about the environmental documents and materials about the proposed new $30 million interchange that will allow motorists to avoid being slowed or stopped because of increasing railroad traffic projected to occur later this year.

Louisville & Indiana Railroad has leased its tracks running through Columbus to CSX, resulting in an increase in train traffic, train speed and delays at intersections involving a rail crossing, with the State Road 46/State Road 11 having the most local traffic.

Louisville & Indiana Railroad and CSX Transportation won approval in April 2015 from the federal Surface Transportation Board to use L&I’s 106-mile mainline between Louisville and Indianapolis jointly and upgrade it from jointed steel rails to continuous welded ones.

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The new rails allow heavier and faster trains to move through Columbus and other cities along the rail line, from Seymour to Indianapolis. The plan calls for CSX, which has invested $70 million to $90 million in improvements, to shift an estimated 13 to 15 trains per day to the L&I line, in addition to the L&I trains already using the line.

A 2016 study by Indianapolis engineering firm American Structurepoint Inc., commissioned by the city, indicates as many as 22 trains may travel through the State Road 46/State Road 11 intersection, and other Columbus downtown intersections.

The overpass project was developed as a collaboration between the city and the Indiana Department of Transportation, who has agreed to pick up half of the total cost, along with other partners providing funding.

Bartholomew County is paying $1.5 million to the city, and another $500,000 that will be paid over a two-year period. The city’s share will include $4 million from Central TIF District funds, while other funding sources include about $5.5 million from the Cummins Engine Plant TIF District funds, up to $2.5 million in state or federal highway programs along with cost savings and $1.5 million from CSX and Louisville & Indiana Railroads.

Studying alternatives

Several overpass alternatives were studied to select an overpass design that would meet the purpose and need while having minimal environmental impacts, INDOT officials said. The design selected is a partial cloverleaf interchange. Cloverleaf interchanges are two-level interchanges that have curved ramp roads much like the shape of a cloverleaf.

A couple recent adjustments have been made to the project’s design, said Dave Hayward, Columbus executive director of public works/city engineer.

Initial plans showed a straight road connecting northbound State Road 11 with eastbound State Road 46 near the Robert Stewart Bridge over the East Fork White River. Reworked designs added a curve to that stretch of roadway, to encourage motorists to drive slower through the interchange.

“We talked with INDOT and the designers and we thought it would be good to put something in there to slow people down,” Hayward said.

The other change was adding a traffic signal where an exit ramp from State Road 46 would intersect with State Road 11 on the south side of the cloverleaf.

Based on the project’s current design, a 40-foot-tall overpass bridge would be built over the State Road 46/State Road 11 railroad tracks, Hayward said. The current stoplight at the State Road 46 and State Road 11 intersection will be removed. State Road 11 will still be next to the train tracks, but will pass underneath the overpass, Hayward said.

Ramp configurations

There are three curved, cloverleaf-like ramps, according to the current design. The first is for drivers who are traveling north on State Road 11 and wish to take State Road 46 west. These drivers would drive underneath the overpass and then turn right to take a curved entrance ramp to merge on to the overpass.

The second curved ramp is for drivers heading east on State Road 46 who wish to travel south on State Road 11. They would cross the overpass and then take an exit ramp — similar in shape to the Interstate 65 exit ramps in Edinburgh — that curves south like a cloverleaf until intersecting with State Road 11. There would be a traffic signal at the end of the ramp to enter State Road 11.

The third curved ramp would be for drivers who are heading west from downtown Columbus and wish to travel west on Jonathan Moore Pike (State Road 46). These drivers would use the left-hand lane to take a curved entrance ramp to merge on to the overpass.

Considering it another way, those traveling westbound on State Road 46 out of downtown Columbus will reverse the current traffic pattern on the bridge. In the new configuration, those in the left two lanes will be heading toward the overpass and continue west out of downtown Columbus while those in the right lane will be heading on to State Road 11.

Hayward said State Road 46 will remain open during overpass construction, though it may be reduced to one lane at some point. INDOT is scheduled to open bids for the project on Oct. 9, and construction could begin in late November or early December, Hayward said.

If this winter is mild enough to allow for construction, the overpass could be open by Nov. 15, 2020, Hayward said.

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The environmental document for the overpass project includes information regarding community and environmental impacts. The environmental document and the preliminary designs are available to view prior to the public hearing at the following locations:

  • Bartholomew County Public Library, 536 Fifth St., Columbus
  • INDOT Seymour District at 185 Agrico Lane, Seymour
  • Hearings Examiner, Room N642 of the Indiana Government Center, 100 N. Senate Ave., Indianapolis, phone (317) 234-0796.

Verbal statements will be accepted during a public comment session for the official public record immediately following the formal presentation.Verbal comments may be restricted to time limitations based on the number of speakers.

In addition, written comments in regard to the projects may be submitted prior to the public hearing and within the comment period to: INDOT Public Hearings, IGCN Room N642, 100 N. Senate Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46204.

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What: Indiana Department of Transportation public hearing on overpass over State Road 46/State Road 11 intersection and railroad crossing

When: 6 p.m. May 29

Where: Cal Brand Meeting Room at Columbus City Hall, located at 123 Washington St., downtown Columbus

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