Project 421
Contractor hired, to begin work on Indiana bridge approach in March
The new road will connect the bridge
to Madison Main Street
(March 2019) – A project to reconstruct the Indiana approach to the Milton-Madison Bridge in Madison, Ind., is moving forward, with construction scheduled to begin in March, according to consultants working on behalf of the Indiana Department of Transportation.
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The Project 421 contract was included in the Dec. 12, 2018, INDOT Highway Letting, and on Jan. 25 it was awarded to Beaty Construction Inc. of Boggstown, Ind., at a cost of $9.569 million. The company won out over two other bidders.
Once the contract is signed and a Notice to Proceed is issued, work can begin.
“A preconstruction meeting is planned for Monday, Feb. 25, after which we will have a better handle on the construction schedule,” said Adam Burns, a project manager with Crawford, Murphy & Tilly Inc. of Indianapolis that serves as INDOT’s consultant for Project 421. “All the properties have been cleared.”
John Kinman, owner of Fillin’ Station Liquors, said he was not pleased with the price he was offered and held out for as long as he could. But the state filed a condemnation action, which is when the state government takes private property for a public purpose. Kinman has since purchased MadTown Liquors at 202 E. Second St. and is moving his package store business there. A to Z Lawn & Garden owner Albert Powers, meanwhile, plans to move his shop to a new location in Vevay, Ind.
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Photo provided Fillin Station Liquors is located in the path of the new Indiana bridge approach and was purchased by condemnation by the state to make way for the public roadway. |
All road and pedestrian bridge construction projects are scheduled to be completed by Aug. 31, 2020. Final completion is scheduled for May 30, 2021. This will allow time for all new vegetation to be established and for all permanent erosion control measure to be fully operational. The project includes a new pedestrian sidewalk access to the existing bridge pedway on the west side of the structure. Pedestrians will continue to be able to access the bridge pedway from Vaughn Drive below the bridge and also from the bridge level at the new roadway approach.
The project includes land acquisition from the end of the bridge in Madison all the way up to Hwy. 56, just below Hillside Inn, and connecting on the highway, which becomes Madison’s Main Street heading west into town. Second Street will continue to connect to the new roadway at its current intersection coming off the bridge and then heading east toward Vevay. The plan calls for a traffic signal to be installed at the intersection of Second Street and Hwy. 421 coming off the bridge. This design was labeled “Alternative 6” during three previous public comment sessions held in the community, beginning in 2016. It is the alternative offering at-grade alignment of the roadway.
Engineers who drew up the various alternatives identified other benefits of the selected route “Alternative 6.” These included:
• Improvement of corridor safety by more than 20 percent;
• Overall reduction in corridor noise levels and fewer impacts to the National Historic Landmarks and to properties identified on the National Register of Historic Places;
• Lowest total project cost of all build alternatives studied;
• Decreased travel times in the corridor by 40 percent when compared to the existing condition.