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INDIANAPOLIS – Traffic, fender benders, and headaches aren’t uncommon for motorists on Indianapolis-area roads. INDOT and the city of Fishers are hoping their newest project will ease those woes a bit.
A proposed interchange at I-69 and 106th Street is aimed at curbing traffic congestion there with an oval roundabout that would be the first of its kind in the state.
INDOT Spokesman Nathan Riggs said the new design would make the morning commute safer and smoother.
“What we found is that the majority of the crashes in this area are rear-end crashes which indicates that it’s due to congestion,” Riggs said. “The preferred design, which is the design that facilitated the best traffic flow and safety, was this roundabout.”
Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness agreed.
He also said the roundabout would spur economic development and provide additional infrastructure for his growing city.
“There’s several hundred acres of undeveloped commercial land along that corridor and the 106th Street interchange provides unique access to all of that land,” Fadness said.
Fishers is also backing the project financially. The city and Hamilton County will be chipping in $12 million towards the estimated $34 million total.
The project will cause some traffic delays during construction. The 106th Street bridge over I-69 will be removed and traffic will be diverted to 96th St.
Riggs said those temporary inconveniences will be worth the frustration when the project is finally completed.
“These types of improvements – adding capacity, making way for the traffic basically – not only kind of catches up to the growth that’s already happened, but also plans for the future growth that’s anticipated to continue in the area,” Riggs said.
Fadness and Riggs expect the interchange to be completed in late 2016 or early 2017.
Fishers will be hosting a public hearing on the proposed interchange Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Fishers City Hall Auditorium.
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