Delays and closings : Taylor Road project lumbers on as residents bemoan the wait

Long-running closures. Unnecessary additions. Lengthy delays. A "complete waste of money."

These are just some of the complaints about the nearly $5 million Taylor Road project, which began in the spring of 2020 and is still ongoing.

The phase now underway is 25th to 31st Street, said City Engineer Dave Hayward. The section from 31st to Rocky Ford Road is mostly finished.

"There’s still some paving work to do on the first phase, from 31st to Rocky Ford," he said. "And there’s also a little bit of storm sewer work that is being done. We found some issues that we wanted to deal with right up front and get those taken care of. So there’s a little bit of drainage work that’s still to be done."

Taylor Road from 25th to 31st Street is closed, as well as the intersecting side streets. The northern phase of the project is open, but this is mainly limited to residential traffic only.

According to the city website, the project’s improvements will make the road "significantly safer" for drivers, bikers and pedestrians. These improvements include:

  • 11-foot roadway lane, one lane in each direction
  • A side path on the west side
  • A sidewalk on the east side
  • New curb and gutter, pavement markings and signage
  • Mini roundabouts at multiple intersections

Hayward estimated that the project will be complete in October or early November of this year. 

Work began on the northern phase in the spring of 2020, and then the other phase began in spring of 2021.

Two of the main factors in project delays are winter weather and material scarcity, Hayward said. Heavy rains, which Columbus has been experiencing, can also be an impediment to work.

When asked when he originally hoped to finish both phases, he said that it’s "always a little bit of a moving target," especially since the project’s use of federal funds comes with certain requirements.

"Ideally, we like to start projects in the spring and finish them the same year if at all possible," he said. "And sometimes that’s possible. Sometimes it isn’t. We would have really preferred to do this whole project, the two phases, in one big project. But due to the federal funding allocations that we have to live within, we had to split it in two and do it over two years."

He added that while they would have preferred to do the project all in one phase, that would’ve extended it to the point where it couldn’t all be done in one season.

Federal funding is handling 80% of the project, Hayward said. So far, project costs have been about $2.07 million for the north phase, about $2.84 million for the south phase, and about $4.91 million overall. The city expects both phases to be completed within the original contract amounts, he said. 

When design of the project began in 2006, the initial concept was to widen the road and add left-turn lanes, which would have meant acquiring right-of-way from most properties.

"The limited public input on that design was mostly negative," he said. "In 2016, the city re-opened the project by hosting a series of public meetings with the adjacent property owners. The current design is the result of that public input.”

In looking at what the section of Taylor Road needed, the city found that "neighborhood types of improvements" were more suitable for the area, Hayward said. Two narrower lanes would work instead of four, and people wanted sidewalks and trails. He said that when the project is complete, he expects the area to have "a much more neighborly feel."

There is also the possibility of more pedestrian improvements in the future. Hayward said that while the city will be looking into improvements at the intersection of 25th Street and Taylor Road, which has "the highest frequency of pedestrian accidents in the city."

This separate project might include additions such as pedestrian signals and push buttons.

"But there are some utility issues in the way there that we’ve got to deal with and some other things," he said. "So that’s kind of an add-on that we are looking at, and we realize that something needs to be done there.”

However, some residents are skeptical of the current improvements and the effect on pedestrian safety.

A mini roundabout at Fairlawn Drive has drawn the ire of some nearby residents.

Josh Nay, who lives near the intersection, said that traffic on Fairlawn is already too fast, and a "traffic circle" at the end of the road, rather than a full stop, may mean even higher speeds. 

Since the new feature is "surrounded by pedestrian walkways," he’s concerned that someone could be run over by a speeding vehicle that fails to yield. 

Hayward, however, said that roundabouts are "usually very effective" in slowing vehicles. The project goal, he said, is to "slow vehicular traffic and create a more pedestrian feel."

Additionally, he said that, "Provision of bicycle and pedestrian facilities along Taylor and future connections to such destinations as Richards School should improve pedestrian safety."

Another area point of contention is how accessible roundabouts are to different sizes of vehicles. 

Nay said that it seems like large vehicles have difficulty navigating the Fairlawn and Taylor "traffic circle" and pointed out that before being closed, this intersection was the main exit point for school buses. He said that he’s seen a school bus have to make a six-point-turn to get turn left off Taylor Road on to Fairlawn.

However, Hayward said that roundabouts shouldn’t be too challenging for larger vehicles. 

“Roundabouts are designed to accommodate all vehicles that can reasonably be expected on a street," he said. "In most cases, there is an apron area that will allow larger vehicles to utilize part of the circle island. They still need to slow down, but they can easily maneuver through the roundabout.”

While he is generally supportive of roundabouts, Nay said that it would make more sense to put them at Rocky Ford and Marr Road or Rocky Ford and Taylor, where the four-way stops are "treacherous."

Columbus resident Cary Hutchins also expressed concern about the latter intersection, though his suggestion would be to add a traffic light at the stop. 

"Rush hour, that’s kind of dangerous right there," he said. "There’s all kinds of people in a real hurry to get home. You kind of take your life in your hands going through there.”

Hayward said that while a traffic signal was considered in the design process, it "did not meet the warrants in the Indiana Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices."

Flooding is also an item of concern.

While flooding issues are considered for every project, there are no floodplains within the project limits, Hayward said. The final design minimizes the amount of pavement, "which reduces the amount of storm runoff," he said.

Nay, on the other hand, said that the project has exacerbated existing flooding issues on Taylor Road between Fairlawn and Rocky Ford.

"By adding the median to the road, the flood water is trapped on the east side and rises to a much higher level than it did previously," he said. "With the median there, we are not able to drive around the water. There is a lack of lighting near the flooding area as well, so the morning commute is rather treacherous after a storm."

Also, while perhaps less inherently dangerous, inconvenience and closures are among the items some residents continue to mention.

Hayward said that the decision to prioritize Taylor was not made during his tenure as city engineer. While he could not find any notes in regards to that query, he said the Metropolitan Planning Organization likely "at least partially" made this choice.

The project’s effect on his day to day life has been "tremendous", Nay said, as it disrupts the usual route to take his children to school. He has to drive several miles in the opposite direction before heading to his destination. However, he added that he’ll have to see what happens once the project is finished.

Nay said he will appreciate having sidewalks on Taylor Road.

Hutchins said that he is pleased that the road is being repaved and that new storm drains have been put in.

Still, he added, “I just wish they’d paved it in a couple of weeks and been done with it.”

[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Where to learn more” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]

More information about the Taylor Road project is available at columbus.in.gov/engineering under the "Projects" tab.

[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Tell readers what you think” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]

Anyone wishing to write a letter to the editor about the Taylor Road project is invited to do so.

Here are the rules:

■ Letters must include the writer’s full name, address and a daytime telephone number for verification to be considered for publication. We do not publish addresses, or telephone numbers, but we do publish city of residence.

■ Letters are limited to a maximum of 500 words.

■ Only one letter per writer may be published every 30 days.

■ Please email your letters to [email protected] or mail them to 2980 N. National Road, Suite A, Columbus, IN 47201.

[sc:pullout-text-end]