COLUMBUS, Ind. — City officials expect Taylor Road to reopen soon as the nearly $5 million project is nearing completion — and for some local residents, finishing the project can’t come soon enough.
Executive Director of Public Works/City Engineer Dave Hayward said that the road has “shaped up considerably” in recent weeks, and the city expects to finish the project in spring of 2022. However, the road will likely reopen prior to this final completion, he said.
“I think we’ll be able to open it up over the winter months,” Hayward said. “We want to discourage thru traffic because there still will be some construction hazards in there, but it’ll be essentially open to traffic whenever the contractor shuts down for the winter.”
The project’s improvements are to make the road “significantly safer” for drivers, bikers and pedestrians, city officials said. 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
As of now,Taylor Road is still closed from 25th Street to Rocky Ford Road, except to residents who live along that section.
Paving began Nov. 5 for the 25th to 31st street section, with the base and “intermediate layers” of asphalt going in.
“Driveways are all in place,” he said. “So about all that’s left there is sidewalks on both sides, which they will continue to work on over the next few weeks as long as the weather cooperates. And then next spring we’ll have a final surface course of asphalt to install and seeding and sodding in the yards, and we’ll be done with this project.”
The section from 31st to Rocky Ford, which is mostly finished, will also get the final surface course of asphalt at that time. Hayward said that they want to do the final paving for both sections at the same time so that the road looks uniform.
For the complete story, see Tuesday’s Republic.
