Transportation plans for the city’s future could include an alternative to State Road 11.
The Columbus Planning Commission has approved a resolution forwarding Thoroughfare Plan Map revisions to the Columbus City Council with a favorable recommendation. The proposed changes include a revision to the alignment of a potential new north-south road between State Road 46 and 200 South, which city officials say could be a "flood-free" alternative to State Road 11.
Planning director Jeff Bergman said in his presentation that the Thoroughfare Plan is one of eight elements of the city’s current Comprehensive Plan. The plan "anticipates future growth and identifies thoroughfare improvements needed to accommodate that growth."
"It’s also really important to know that the Thoroughfare Plan is a guide," he said, "and the content that’s going to be on the map is conceptual. So it’s intended to provide for our future transportation needs, but not necessarily dictate the specific design components of any particular project."
He illustrated the point by showing the 1949 Thoroughfare Plan Map and how it differs from current transportation infrastructure, stating that, "Some of those projects do, in fact, take place as anticipated, and others don’t."
The current Thoroughfare Plan Map identifies a potential new north-south road between State Road 46 and 200 South that would "run generally parallel with Jonesville Road/State Road 11." He told the planning commission that it’s anticipated that the road would also reach down to County Road 450S.
"As a result of ongoing discussions with Columbus Regional Health regarding the Garden City Farms property, Columbus City Utilities regarding a new sewer main, and INDOT regarding a possible State Road 11 replacement, the city has had an opportunity to study the possible routes for this road in more detail," Bergman wrote. "The conclusion is that a slightly different alignment, with the street to the west of the Cross Creek neighborhood (along 200 South) rather than the east, is more feasible."
Having the potential road shown one way on the map, as opposed to the other, doesn’t necessarily dictate the route that would be implemented if and when it came time to design the actual road. For the time being, the matter is "conceptual," he said.
Bergman wrote in his memorandum that the planning department contacted 27 property owners regarding the State Road 46 to County Road 200S new road alignment, and six contacted the department with comments.
Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. has shown their support for the proposed new alignment, as the currently shown route might "increase congestion and potentially create unsafe traffic conditions near Southside Elementary School."
He also noted that while some owners agreed that the currently displayed route to the east was likely not feasible, they also had concerns about the proposed new alignment to the west, including the impact on backyards, storm water drainage issues, cut-through traffic, and how the potential project and its "unknowns" might affect owners’ ability to sell property. They also expressed a desire for "separation and buffering" between their homes and the road.
“One of the challenging things for this discussion and for them is that, quite honestly, those kind of details are really premature, at this point, when we’re talking about the Thoroughfare Plan," Bergman said. "And we just can’t offer a lot of details about how that road might be designed or how any of those things might be accommodated."
Nathan Hinckley, president for the Cross Creek homeowners’ association, spoke up during the time for public comment. He likewise said that it’s clear that there aren’t a lot of other options for a connection from State Road 46 to County Road 450S.
“I don’t want to say I wholeheartedly support it," Hinckley said. "… We enjoy having a cornfield and not a lot back there. It’s quiet. A road would not be as quiet. But by the same token, I understand also that there aren’t a lot of other options, especially if you want a flood-free way to get into Columbus.”
He also reiterated concerns about drainage and cut-through traffic and said that he hopes the city will continue to listen to residents’ concerns moving forward.
City engineer and executive director of public works Dave Hayward, who is on the planning commission, said that one of the benefits to the proposed road is that it could be moved outside the floodplain or easily raised out of it, providing a "flood-free route" to State Road 46.
"If you look at State Road 11, it floods half a dozen times a year, sometimes, and that really causes a lot of traffic problems in that whole southwest quadrant of the city and county," he said.
The Indiana Department of Transportation is considering a similar project, Bergman said.
"We learned fairly recently that INDOT is studying alternatives to State Road 11 — again, trying to seek a flood-free route," he said. "And they’re very early in that process, but their alignments for that are very consistent with what we’re talking about here. So there’s the possibility of some point that there’s INDOT involvement, which would certainly bring funding to that effort that we couldn’t, as just the city.”
The proposed Thoroughfare Plan Map changes now go to the Columbus City Council, likely to be on the council’s May 4 agenda.
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The planning department documents regarding the proposed Thoroughfare Plan Map revisions can be viewed on their website at columbus.in.gov/planning/agendas-materials/.
Click on April 14 to access meeting materials, then select "Planning Department Staff Presentations" (slides 11-15 cover the revisions) or "General Resolution 2021-01 (Columbus Thoroughfare Plan Map Revisions)". Both documents provide information on the proposed changes.
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