A gravel parking lot next to the Bartholomew County Jail has opened to allow jail visitors to avoid dangers involved in using the crosswalk on the heavy-traffic Second Street in downtown Columbus.
Twenty-nine parking spaces marked with the use of concrete curbs are in place, in a collaboration between the city of Columbus and the county, which finished construction of the lot this week, sheriff deputies said. The vacant lot in the southeast corner of Second Street and Lafayette street is now open for parking for visitors and also jail employees, deputies said.
County officials obtained zoning permission from the city to place the temporary parking lot next to the jail.
The temporary easement being sought by the county for temporary parking comes with an option to renew every six months, redevelopment commission attorney Stan Gamso said in an earlier interview.
The county asked for this parking area while awaiting the installation of an overhead high-intensity activated crosswalk (HAWK) signal on Second Street, Bartholomew County Commissioner Carl Lienhoop said in an earlier interview. On May 2, the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) notified the city of Columbus the signal will be installed at the pedestrian crosswalk in front of the jail later this year.
But new delays have surfaced. For example, the supplier of the poles used for the HAWK system has fallen behind in their efforts to keep up with existing orders, Lienhoop said.
In addition, INDOT has informed the county they may not bid the project until November or December, Lienhoop said. That means the HAWK signal likely won’t be installed until late spring or early summer of 2020, he told the redevelopment commission.
Although many employees will still park in the large lot on the north side of Second Street, county leaders said it’s important to provide safer parking options that don’t involve walking across a street that also serves as a state highway, State Road 46.
