146th, Allisonville Overpass Will Reduce Current Congestion
The traffic at the intersection of 146th Street and Allisonville Road continues to increase each year as 146th Street is one of the most traveled east-to-west corridors in Hamilton County, said County Commissioner Mark Heirbrandt.
I’ve always heard that Allisonville Road used to be a gravel road.
But despite being unpaved, the road was popular among travelers to Indianapolis.
It was way before I came to Noblesville and started working at The Noblesville Ledger in 1986. Back then, Conner Prairie was in Noblesville as was Cottingham Estates housing addition.
Both of those geographic areas were annexed into Fishers.
For several years, we all watched property being sold to the county near the intersection of 146th Street and Allisonville Road in preparation for a roundabout coming “someday.” I wrote an Indianapolis Star story about the Northridge retirement community when it opened on the southwest corner of the intersection.
A week ago, there was a 90-minute public information session to give people an opportunity to review preliminary design plans for the intersection of 146th Street and Allisonville Road
For those who didn’t attend the meeting or haven’t kept up to date with the plans, the $29 million project now going on $37 million, expected to begin in spring 2023 and completed by fall 2024, will construct 146th Street over Allisonville Road via a new overpass bridge, to reduce congestion at the intersection, which currently has traffic signals. There will be exit and entrance ramps connecting 146th Street to a roundabout on Allisonville Road below, much like Keystone Avenue in Carmel.
Construction is expected to begin in spring 2023 and completed by fall 2024, to construct 146th Street over Allisonville Road via a new overpass bridge, to reduce congestion at the intersection, which currently has traffic signals.
“This is something that we have been discussing since I became a Commissioner in 2013,” said Hamilton County Commissioner Mark Heirbrandt. “The traffic on 146th Street continues to increase each year as it’s one of the most traveled east to west corridors in the county and has exceeded its original growth expectations.”
Eight-foot-wide Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) pedestrian paths will be installed on the west, south and east legs of the project. Also, the northern portion of the road that circles Northridge will be reconstructed, and a new entrance to Willow Crest neighborhood in the southeast quadrant of the intersection will be constructed. A new frontage road will provide access to six residential properties in the northeast quadrant of the intersection.
The eastbound and westbound bridges are expected to be widened to accommodate the additions of both acceleration and deceleration lanes.
The first phase of the construction is to construct a crossover pavement in the grass median west of Allisonville Road, and to remove median curbs.
The next phase, 2abc, shifts traffic on existing pavement to allow the construction of the ramps offline. Two lanes of traffic will be maintained in the eastbound and westbound directions, while traffic will be reduced to one lane in the northbound and southbound directions. Right turns will be allowed. The 146th Street Bridge over White River to the west of the intersection will be widened, and traffic will be shifted on the bridge.
In Phase 2d, Allisonville Road will be closed to construct the pavement connecting the new ramps. Two lanes of traffic will continue to be maintained on 146th Street.
In Phase 3a, Allisonville Road will stay closed during construction to the north and south and the piers for 146th Street bridge over Allisonville Road. Two lanes of traffic will continue in each direction on the new ramps.
In Phase 3b, Allisonville Road will be reopened with one lane north and southbound with right turns only. The 146th Street traffic will remain on the ramps while 146th Street, the retaining walls, and the bridge are constructed.
During Phase 4, traffic will be open in all directions with some single-lane closures for finalizing curb, gutter and pedestrian path, reconstruction of center curbs and to finish the eastern end of the project.
The project will require 1.7 more acres of right-of-way, 1.11 acres of temporary right-of-way and 16 home relocations of which 11 have already been acquired.
–Contact Betsy Reason at betsy@thetimes24-7.com.