Unless winter makes an unexpected early arrival, Bartholomew County government should have all of their planned asphalt paving projects completed before the end of the year.
A total of $3 million is being invested to finance about 30 projects covering more than 26 miles of rural roads. Half of the money comes through a Community Crossings matching grant issued by the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) while county taxpayers will foot the bill for the remainder.
Crews from Milestone Contractors LP of Columbus have been moving quickly on the 2024 overlay program since late September, county highway engineer Danny Hollander. A significant amount of the construction season was spent by county highway crews preparing each project for the new blacktop, he said.
Crews want to get all the work completed before temperatures drop below 45-degrees for an extended period of time, Hollander said. That usually signals when asphalt plants close for the winter.
As of Nov. 4, the Milestone crews had completed over 85% of its projects. Hollander says only three projects need to be completed before the end of the construction season.
- Tannehill Road, from U.S. 31 to County Road 250W (0.59 miles)
- Hartman Drive, from U.S. 31 to 1,035 feet southwest of U.S. 31 (0.21 miles)
- County Road 500N (Hartsville Road), from State Road 9 to County Road 1150E (3.84 miles)
“County Road 500N is a pretty long stretch, but they are going to do that before the end of the year,” Hollander said.
The most recently completed overlay projects were on County Road 900E on the east side of Schaefer Lake near Hope, as well as sections of County Road 550W north of Ogilville, Hollander said.
This year, multiple sections of streets and roads in four subdivisions received a new blacktop: Hamor Heights, Zephyr Village, Harrison Lake and Grandview Lake.
Meanwhile, INDOT has announced they will close down State Road 58 near Ogilville next spring to replace the bridge spanning East Fork White River. Construction should last about seven months, Hollander said.
An unofficial detour that utilizes county roads has been approved by both the county and the state. Under a letter of understanding, the state promises to pay the county for any damages on the unofficial detour caused by increased traffic.
