With school out and fewer people in town, more construction projects are underway. Here’s a breakdown of some of the ones happening around town this summer and in the future.
Fullerton Pike, Phase III
Construction on the Fullerton Pike project is nearing completion, with Gordon Pike expected to be reopened by Aug. 4. Paul Satterly, Monroe County highway director, said a roundabout is being built to connect Batchelor Drive and Gordon Pike. Also part of the project is constructing an east-west corridor to connect Fullerton Pike and Gordon Pike via a new road and bridge.
“[It] provides access, east-west mobility, to the south side of Bloomington,” he said.
Satterly said rain from the last few weeks put the work behind schedule, but they have plans to accelerate the project. With Batchelor Middle School close by, the road must be open by the time school starts Aug. 6. For the summer, two temporary traffic signals control access to the school and library. But Satterly says those light signals alone won’t be able to handle school vehicles.
“It wouldn't have enough capacity to handle all the school traffic and the bus traffic,” he said. “So, it's supposed to be done Aug. 4. So, that's why we're keeping on the contractor to make sure that happens.”
Winslow, Rogers Resurfacing Project
The High-Winslow-Rogers round-a-bout by Child’s Elementary School closed May 27 and is being rebuilt. Winslow Road and Rogers Road between Allendale Drive and Sare Road will also be resurfaced. Roy Aten, senior project manager for the City of Bloomington, said the roundabout will reopen July 10, but smaller projects in the area will continue and are expected to be completed by Aug. 11. around when school restarts.
“We work our closures out the best we can with IU schedules, MCCSC schedules, and everything like that, trying to minimize the impact for it,” Aten said. “Mostly, though, that means that in the summertime, we have a lot of work going on, which is probably what you see out and about now.”
As of June 18, the total cost of the project will be nearly $1.5 million, half paid by the Community Crossing Matching Grant. The rest is locally funded.
Hopewell East Project
This first phase of the bigger Hopewell project will repurpose the former IU Health Bloomington Hospital site into a neighborhood. The $13.5 million Hopewell East Project, which is nearing completion, involves creating lots ready for construction. Work consisted of destroying old structures, installing utilities, re-platting the land, creating streets, and more. Aten said roads have reopened, and the city is finishing smaller projects in the area, such as landscaping.
Construction for Hopewell West, the next phase of the project, is expected to begin later this summer. A new road known as Jackson Street will be built in the area.
Upcoming projects
In September, Aten said the city will bid out a project to reconstruct Second Street and add a dedicated bike lane. The city is working with the state on the project; construction is expected to begin next year.
Next year, construction on High St. is expected to begin. Plans include installing a multiuse path on the east side of High Street stretching from Arden Drive to Second Street.
Aten said the city will also replace signals at the intersections of Second and High streets, and Moores Pike and High Street.
“We did the Jackson Creek Trail project a few years ago, and it built that multiuse path on the east side of High Street all the way down to Rhorer,” he said. “But then we're going to continue that as a next phase, going north.”
The project is partially federally funded. The city is in right-of-way acquisition, which involves obtaining the legal right to use land for the project.
