VIGO COUNTY, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)– Construction on a $4.5 million road project in Vigo County is set to resume next week– and bring lengthy restrictions for drivers.
Residents around Springhill Drive can recall the start of this work in 2023– which was spanned from 7th Street to 12th Street. The county is looking to add a middle turn lane to Springhill– which has seen a high volume of accidents in recent years, according to Vigo engineer Larry Robbins.
“This was the highest accident corridor in the county at the time we took this project on, so it’s definitely something that’s needed,” he said.
The restrictions– which will be from 12th Street to Erie Canal Road– will only allow traffic to go eastbound for the duration of construction. Robbins said he knows this is an inconvenience, but allowing access to Erie Canal Road to first responders was a major factor in the decision.
“That’s really to facilitate the [Honey Creek Fire Department] being able to access Canal Road at all times,” he said. “Rather than flip-flop traffic eastbound to westbound, it just makes sense to get people used to one traffic pattern and then just leave it like that throughout the project.”
Honey Creek Fire Chief Tom High said he appreciated the concern from those involved, and he’s eager to see the improvements finished.
“Springhill had its issues,” he said. “Whether that was lack of curbs, a high-centered road, it did make our heavy vehicles, getting in and out, difficult. But I think improvement is always better and safer for the drivers that use Springhill.”
Robbins said the current timeline is for the work to finish in November. He said they’ve run into numerous delays since the project began in 2023, and he understands frustration from local residents.
“There’s still that problem when you neck down to two lanes there at 12th Street. We’re still getting pushback on some of that and everything, people frustrated it’s taking so long and I’m in that boat,” he said. “Hopefully everything goes well this construction season. Everything’s relocated and out of the way, and we can get it done.”
Both Robbins and Fire Chief High also reminded drivers to take caution around construction crews.
