With spring comes road construction, and the City of Fishers is preparing for two road closures in the coming weeks.  City officials shared some of the plans with LarryInFishers late Tuesday afternoon.

First, 126th Street will be the focus of a closure tied to the construction of a roundabout.  The entrance to Reynolds Drive, the road that takes you to Reynolds Farm Equipment from 126th Street, is being moved a bit east to Parkside Drive, where a roundabout is to be built.  The city will be closing off the median with a raised concrete curb at the intersection of 126th Street and Enterprise Drive/Reynolds Drive. Left turns in this area will be forced to the roundabout as a safety measure.

The city has previously announced 126th Street between State Road 37 and Cumberland Road will be closed from Tuesday, April 2 through Friday, April 5 for storm sewer installation across 126th Street. Middleton Place will still have access from the east.

For the rest of the project, 126th Street will remain open, but reduced to one lane in each direction. Parkside Drive at 126th Street will be closed during the construction of the north side of the roundabout.  The exact closure dates are still being determined.

This project will cost $1.7 million….90% of the cost is being picked up by the federal government, and 10% is funded by the City of Fishers.

Second, The 4-way stop at 136th Street and Cyntheanne Road is to be transformed into a one-lane roundabout, with the new construction designed to allow a two-lane roundabout intersection in the future if needed.  Work will include pavement removal and replacement, the installation of crosswalks for pedestrian traffic in all directions and new lighting.  The city’s goal is to increase traffic capacity and improve the safety of the intersection for both motorists and pedestrians.

City crews plan to close the intersection for 45 days beginning in July.  This is dependent on weather and utility relocation completion.

The price tag on this work is estimated at $1.5 million,  80% from federal money and 20% from local funds.

When the Town of Fishers last widened 116th Street, it was 1997.  22 years later, with major development set for construction in the downtown area, the Fishers Board of Works and Public Safety gave city engineers the go-ahead to move forward on the widening, which will create left-turn lanes between Municipal Drive and Commercial Drive.  The city and the contractor, A&F Engineering, will continue with the widening plans, with the blessing of the Board of Works.  Construction on the 116th Street turn lanes is not expected to begin until fall of this year, at the earliest.  For the engineer’s drawing on where the left-turn lanes would be located, use this link.

In other actions taken at the Monday board meeting, all the following items were approved:

–A 4-way stop at Traymoore Drive and Luxor Chase

–Fire protection service agreement between the City of Fishers and both Fall Creek and Delaware Townships.

–$183,168.62 of landscaping, encompassing the 116th Street medians on each side of I-69 that will receive shrubbery, perennials, and flowers to match the existing street medians along 116th Street.  The city has also identified 6 median tips along Allisonville Road from just south of Easy Street to just north of Sunblest Boulevard that will receive summer and fall flowers to match the existing color palate as well.

–Vendors set to participate in this year’s Fishers Farmers Markets

–$35,000 was authorized for an Auto Vehicle Locator contract with AT&T

–A $5.18 million bid was approved for reconstruction of South Street downtown

–2 design contracts for the Geist Greenway

–A curb cut for right-in/right-out access to 116th Street for the Stations project, located near The Yard and the nearby Kroger store.

Liberty Plaza

The City of Fishers will celebrate National Vietnam War Veterans Day at 11am, March 29th, at Liberty Plaza, just south of City Hall.

This is part of the 50^th anniversary of the Vietnam War. The program will honor veterans and their families who served during the Vietnam War period and will include a Vietnam Veteran’s lapel pin presentation. Program speakers include City of Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness; Commander El Ahlwardt; U.S. Navy Retired; Kyle Fisher, American Legion 470 Commander; and Hospital Corpsman Second Class George Stavropoulos, U.S. Navy.  Music will be provided by the White River Brass Troupe.

As part of an ongoing initiative by the City of Fishers in partnership with the Fishers Parks Foundation, engraved pavers are available for purchase and installation at Liberty Plaza in honor of a service member.

Veterans and active service personnel are encouraged to sign up to receive notices of these events and other opportunities throughout the year.

To RSVP for the event and to learn more about programs for veterans at the City of Fishers, please visit playfishers.com/fishershonors. To learn more about the Commemoration, please visit VietnamWar50th.com

For the past few years, Fishers has organized an event aimed at keeping neighborhoods around the city beautiful, and the event is on again for 2019.  Keep Fishers Beautiful is set for Saturday, April 13th.

You can get involved, or a group or even and entire neighborhood can choose to dive in and do something special for your own community.  Included in the April 13th activities are Special Service Day at Richey Woods and the city recycling day at Billericay Park.

For more details, use this link.

Be aware of traffic tie-ups possible on two main Fishers thoroughfares in the coming days.

Lane restrictions are scheduled on 126th Street between State Road 37 and Cumberland Road March 25-29.  Of course, it’s all weather-dependent.  Then, the following week, a storm sewer installation is set for April 2nd-5th and will require that same part of 126th Street to close.  If you live in Middleton Place, access to your neighborhood will be available from the east.

Another issue, this one for those regularly traveling on 96th Street, will impact motorists the remainder of March.  The city will be cutting trees for the planned road-widening project and will require one lane to be closed periodically.  Crew members with flags will be handling the one-lane traffic areas as they pop-up.

And, as always, be aware of the ongoing construction issues on State Road 37 and Allisonville Road.

Here is the road construction report for the work week beginning March 25th, as provided by the City of Fishers:

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126TH STREET
There will be temporary lane restrictions on 126th Street between State Road 37 and Cumberland Road from March 25 through March 29, weather permitting.

126th Street between State Road 37 and Cumberland Road will be closed from Tuesday, April 2 through Friday, April 5 for storm sewer installation across 126th Street. Middleton Place will still have access from the east.
96TH STREET
There will be periodic lane restrictions on 96th Street between Lantern Road and Cumberland Road throughout the month of March. These restrictions will be short term in order to drop trees for the road widening project. Flaggers will be in place to help direct traffic.

For more information about the 96th Street road widening project, view the Fact Sheet.

ALLISONVILLE ROAD 
Southbound and northbound traffic on Allisonville Road has moved onto the newly constructed pavement as part of Phase 3 of the project.This will be the traffic configuration moving into the spring of 2019. The posted speed limit will remain 30 mph.

For more information on this project, view the Fact Sheet.

STATE ROAD 37
Drainage work for SR37 is in progress. Construction vehicles will be using the construction entrance on Lantern Road, between 126th Street and 131st Street, and may cause some short delays. There are no scheduled lane restrictions or closures along SR37 at this time.

Hamilton County Reporter

A power outage closed the Hamilton County Judicial Center on Thursday.  According to County Commissioner Mark Heirbrandt, construction crews working on the Logan Street Bridge project accidentally cut a main power line.

The outage occurred at approximately 2 p.m.  County employees working at the Judicial Center were sent home for the day.

According to Heirbrandt, the outage did not affect other areas of downtown Noblesville.

“Duke Energy was very responsive and had the power back on in about an hour,” said Heirbrandt.

Hamilton County Reporter

The Reporter has learned a Hamilton County Magistrate is expected to be charged Friday with a drug-related offense.

As of press time, law enforcement officials have not formally released the name or charging information. The Reporter’s attempt to reach Hamilton County Prosecutor Lee Buckingham was unsuccessful.

Sgt. Bill Clifford and Deputy Jeremy Kousen have been awarded the Sheriff’s Medal of Honor by Sheriff Dennis Quakenbush, according to my news gathering partner, the Hamilton County Reporter.

On Jan. 28, Hamilton County Public Safety Communications received a report of an attempted suicide in the area of 156th Street and Prairie Baptist Road. Initial reports were that a female subject had cut her wrists and was losing consciousness.

Deputy Kousen and Sgt. Clifford, along with a Noblesville Police officer, responded to the call. The NPD officer and Deputy Kousen applied tourniquets to her arms, both of which had been cut and were bleeding profusely.

As the patient was losing consciousness, Sgt. Clifford applied direct pressure to the wound on her right arm. The actions of these three men allowed the medics to immediately administer fluids and other lifesaving measures instead of having to stop the bleeding first.

Without the fast response, use of issued equipment and proper training of Deputy Kousen and Sgt. Clifford, sheriff’s department officials say the likelihood of the woman’s survival would have been greatly decreased.

Each Hamilton County deputy is equipped with, and trained in, the use of tourniquets to assist in lifesaving efforts involving traumatic injuries with bleeding. Deputies are trained annually in First Aid and CPR as they are often the first on the scene of an injury or accident.

The Medal of Honor may be presented to members of the Sheriff’s Office who, through an extraordinary effort, attempt to or contribute to the saving of a human life. Additionally, when death of the victim seems imminent, the member’s actions significantly assist the lifesaving effort.

Hamilton County Reporter

Duke Energy Foundation has awarded Hamilton County Parks and Recreation $14,500, as part of its Environmental Project Grant program. The funds will be applied toward the development of a $34,000 nature education trailer.

The custom, mobile “nature center” will be transported and then staged at multiple park and community events throughout Hamilton County, with the intention of inviting guests in the trailer to experience interactive and hands-on nature education.

Members of the community that may not otherwise have access to such resources, or haven’t thought to visit a nature center in the past, will benefit from Duke Energy Foundation’s generosity and this innovative collaboration with Hamilton County Parks.

“We are extremely grateful to Duke Energy Foundation for this funding that gets us much closer to completing this special project that will advance our initiative to provide quality nature education at venues throughout the county that traditionally draw large audiences,” said Al Patterson, Hamilton County Parks and Recreation Director.

“Supporting this project is a good example of how the Duke Energy Foundation contributes to the health and vitality of the communities we serve,” said Mark LaBarr, Duke Engery’s Community Relations Director for Hamilton County. “We’re honored to help support our children’s education with this project.”