Motorists using US 31 between Seymour and Columbus will begin experiencing diversions and detours as the Indiana Department of Transportation begins work to re-surface the roadway and replace the Sand Creek Bridge at the Jackson-Bartholomew County line.
INDOT launched a multi-faceted $8.4 million paving/bridge/roundabout project on U.S. Highway this week.
Flaggers will direct traffic around exploratory drilling operations at the U.S. 31 Sand Creek bridge—at the Bartholomew-Jackson County line—in advance of removal and replacement of the structure which will begin early next month. This operation is expected to continue through Thursday afternoon.
On Monday, March 21, weather permitting, INDOT’s contractor will start removing and replacing the U.S. 31 pavement under CSX’s railroad bridge just north of the US 31 & US 50 junction in Seymour. Motorists will be directed around the closure— located between East County Avenue and C.R. 700N in Jackson County—via U.S. 50 to Interstate 65 at Seymour, to U.S. 31 at Exit 76/Edinburgh. This closure for full-depth pavement replacement is expected to continue for at least five days.
Once U.S. 31 pavement has been placed under the CSX bridge, contracted crews plan to repair the north-south highway in Jackson County from U.S. 50 to the Sand Creek bridge. This section of U.S. 31 will then be milled and resurfaced with a 2-inch lift of hot-mix asphalt.
On Monday, April 4, demolition and replacement of the U.S. 31 bridge at Sand Creek is tentatively scheduled to begin. This will require a 240-day closure.
Milestone is the state’s contractor for these operations which include replacing the 3-sided culvert at Quade Ditch on U.S. 31 6.4 miles north of U.S. 50 and the roundabout at C.R. 400 S located 1.6 miles south of S.R. 7 in Bartholomew County. No decision has been made at this time with regard to construction of the U.S. 31 roundabout during the 2016 construction season. Utility coordination is ongoing to determine if timelines can be accelerated.