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TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM The Evansville Urban Transportation Study (EUTS)
has recently published the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for the
fiscal years 2006-2008. EUTS is the transportation planning agency for the area
and also designated as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) under the
Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century. In addition to the MPO,
transportation projects must be included in the 20 year Transportation Plan and
the TIP in order to receive federal funding. Fiscal years begin on July 1 and
end on June 30.
Within the west side of the county, the TIP
contains plans for completion of phases 3 and 4 of the St. Joe widening from
Illinois to Diamond during 2006 at a cost of $5.9 million. Transportation Update - May 2005 Last month we reported on the possible closing of “short” Nurrenbern Road to accommodate CSX. In talking with various county officials, CSX representatives and neighbors, it appears that this is not in any current plan. No one would go so far as to say it won’t happen but at least a closure doesn’t seem imminent at this point in time, if at all. However, CSX is purchasing property to provide room for an additional track from somewhere near the Howell Yard to near the Nurrenbern Crossing. It is assumed that this is being done to facilitate the diesel fueling operation. Currently, as I understand from others, fueling does take place in that area. In fact, I’ve received some complaints of pollution contamination as well as excessive night noise due to the fueling operation in that area. We’ll continue to look into this matter. The recent INDOT meeting concerning the Lloyd (Route 62) upgrade was quite well attended with many speakers expressing various concerns. We hope you were able to attend. As a follow-up to that meeting and on behalf of the WIA, I wrote a letter to INDOT expressing our thoughts and reinforcing some of the concerns expressed by others. Following is most of the text from that letter addressed to Ms. Mary Jackman at the Indiana Department of Transportation.
Transportation Update - April 2005 If you’ve been out driving around Vanderburgh
County and, in particular, the west side, I’m sure you are well aware of many
road construction projects. Rather than report on the status of current
projects, I’d like to let you know about some future projects.
And a few in other districts:
We appreciate the Commissioners holding this meeting and soliciting public input to this subject. The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) will hold a Public Hearing on April 13th for comment about the Environmental Assessment concerning the proposed upgrade of state Route 62 (Lloyd Expressway). As you remember, the upgrade is from First Avenue to Eickoff Road and will eliminate traffic signals but close some current intersections as well as provide for three through lanes from just west of Barker Avenue to Eickoff Road. This project will require approximately 25 acres of new permanent right-of-way; displace 28 residences and 19 businesses and one storage building. The Orr Iron Company Building, which is on the National Register of Historic Buildings, will be demolished. One other potential concern is the possible
closing of “short” Nurrenbern Road to accommodate CSX involving a project at the
railroad crossing. Information is very sketchy at this point in time but we do
know CSX has had recent conversation with some of our county officials. This
would have many possible concerns including emergency vehicle response time and,
perhaps, inconvenience for residents of the area. We know this has been a hot
topic many times before and the overpass may have changed some of the concern.
We’ll continue to investigate this potential and report to you if there is any
substance to the current information. In the meantime, if you know or hear
anything, please let me know. TRANSPORTATION UPDATE - August 2004 The Evansville Urban Transportation Study (EUTS) has recently published the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for the fiscal years 2005-2007. EUTS is the transportation planning agency for the area and also designated as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) under the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century. In addition to the MPO, transportation projects must be included in the 20 year Transportation Plan and the TIP in order to receive federal funding. Fiscal years begin on July 1 and end on June 30. As described in the TIP, the EUTS area includes about 650 square miles in Indiana including Evansville, Vanderburgh County except for Union Township, and Warrick County as well as about 440 square miles in Kentucky, which includes the City of Henderson and Henderson County. EUTS also provides planning assistance for the rural counties of Gibson and Posey. The TIP must specify transportation projects to be implemented during the next three- to five-year period based upon realistic estimates of revenues as well as identifying costs, funding sources and implementation schedules for the projects. EUTS has established the following goals and
objectives to guide the planning process:
The TIP contains plans for completion of phases 3
and 4 of the St. Joe widening from Illinois to Diamond during 2005 at a cost of
$5.9 million. The Eickhoff-Koressel Road will be a new, four-lane road that will
provide a north-south corridor for the west side of Vanderburgh County. The
portion from SR 62 to Upper Mt. Vernon is to be completed by 2006. The second
portion from Upper Mt. Vernon to SR 66 will see construction beginning in 2007
and cost about $13.9 million. Intersection improvements at Route 65, St. Wendel Road, and 8.2 miles south of I-64 should be completed during 2005 at a construction cost of $283,000. Additional projects on the west side include installation of a flashing beacon at Upper Mt. Vernon and Red Bank Road in 2005 and, maybe, implementation of an advanced warning system for the Ohio Street railroad crossing in 2005, at least according to the plan. Some other interesting projects are the installation of bike racks at various public facilities around Evansville, continuation of the traffic signal modernization program and conversion of city owned vehicles from gasoline engines to compressed natural gas. Total cost for all projects in the plan for the years 2005-2007 amounts to approximately $342 million. The federal portion is $243 million; the state portion is $55 million while the local share is about $44 million. If you wish more detailed information, the TIP is
available from EUTS and I have copy you can use. Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP)-- 2004-2006 The Evansville Urban Transportation Study (EUTS) recently published the 2004-2006 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Quoted from the introduction “TIP provides an ambitious schedule of transportation improvements that will both enhance the current system and provide for future growth. In addition, the overall program is designed to contribute to the area-wide goal of cleaner air. This program includes improvements to the system of roadways, transit, bridges and bicycle/pedestrian facilities.” The EUTS Study Area contains about 308 square miles in Indiana including Evansville, all of Vanderburgh County except Union Township, a portion of Warrick County including Ohio Township, Newburgh, Chandler, a portion of Boon Township including Boonville and a portion of Anderson Township. In Kentucky, the Study Area encompasses approximately 440 square miles including Henderson and Henderson County. Total cost of all projects and programs included in the 2004-2006 study is $349 million of which $250 million will be federally funded, $58 million state funded and $41 million funded locally. Many of the planned improvement projects are within the boundaries of the WIA. We already know that work is progressing at the St. Joe and Lloyd Expressway Intersection, hopefully, to be finished soon with a cost of about $1.1 million. Following completion of the intersection improvements, St. Joe will be widened to four lanes with a continuous left turn lane from Illinois Street to Maryland Street. St. Joe will continue as a four lane from Maryland Street to Diamond Avenue. Much of this work will take place next year with the project being finished during 2005. Total cost for all the St. Joe improvements will be about $6.6 million. Lloyd Expressway improvements within the WIA area include intersection improvements at Fulton planned for 2004, while preliminary planning will begin in 2005 for new interchange construction at Fulton. During 2006 preliminary planning will begin for added travel lanes from just east of Rosenberger to the west end of the Pigeon Creek Bridge, for a new interchange at Barker and also at St. Joe. Resurfacing of Lloyd Expressway from Wabash Avenue to the Posey County line is planned for 2006 at a cost of about $3.8 million. State Route 65 projects include intersection improvements at Mesker Park Drive and Number 6 School Road during 2004, intersection improvements at St. Wendel Road about 8.2 miles south of I-64 and intersection improvements at SR 66 and SR 65 during 2005. During 2004 work will take place on the Eickhoff-Koressel Road with construction of a new four lane road between SR 62 and Upper Mount Vernon Road at a cost of $13.2 million and construction of a new bridge over the CSX railroad at a cost of $2.4 million.. Right of Way acquisition will begin in 2005 with construction planned for 2006 for the roadway from Upper Mount Vernon to SR 66 at a cost of $13.9 million. 2006 will also see a new bridge constructed over Little Creek. Construction of Eickhoff-Koressel from SR 66 and I-64 is planned beyond 2006. In addition to roadway improvements the TIP
encompasses many other projects such as the ongoing Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)
Conversion Program converting city owned vehicles to CNG, traffic signal control
system upgrades, bike racks at public facilities and transit bus bike racks.
There is also an extensive area of coverage concerning the Pigeon Creek Greenway
Passage Project. TRANSPORTATION UPDATE - September 2002
As you may know by now, various new or revised truck routes were proposed for the Evansville area. One of concern for WIA and the neighbors was Barker Avenue from Claremont to the Lloyd being designated as a truck route. This, along with the other proposals, was presented to the Evansville Safety Board on August 14. After presentations by two WIA representatives and discussion by the Board, the Barker route was denied. The Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) has been amended to provide for protective buying at the Lloyd and St. Joe Intersection. This was done to permit the early acquisition of the Mead Johnson Nutritionals employee parking lot on the northwest corner of that intersection. The Evansville Urban Transportation Study (EUTS) has completed and the EUTS Policy Committee has endorsed and approved the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for the period of 2003-2005. As contained in Section 1: Introduction “The purpose of this report is to both fulfill the requirements of federal manual (4-4-6) and to serve local officials as a complete program of transportation improvements which are proposed to be undertaken during the next three years (fiscal years 2003 to 2005) in the Evansville-Henderson Urbanized area.” WIA has a copy of this study and will review it in detail keeping you informed as to areas impacted on the west side. EUTS has also put together a couple of booklets
titled MPO INTRODUCTION and a HANDBOOK for the purpose of explaining what the
Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is and what it does. In order for any
metropolitan area of more than 50,000 people to qualify for federal highway or
transit assistance there must be a designated MPO. If you wish to learn more
about the MPO for our area, copies of these booklets are available from EUTS. We
appreciate the time and effort of EUTS personnel in putting together the TIP and
especially the booklets explaining in some detail the function and purpose of
the MPO. TRANSPORTATION UPDATE – August 2002 Work continues on the long-awaited advance
warning signs and flashers at the Ohio Street intersections with St. Joe Avenue
and Fulton Avenue planned for earlier this year. A field investigation to
identify potential locations for the proposed signs and flashers has been
conducted by the consultant. The consultant is also working on suitable
locations for the electronic equipment. This equipment will warn motorists of
blocked tracks BEFORE they get to the crossing on Ohio Street. EUTS UPDATE - 2/11/02 ST. JOSEPH AVENUE PROJECT One of the projects discussed was the St. Joseph Avenue Project. This project will be done in four phases:
This discussion pertained mainly to Phases III and IV. St. Joseph Avenue was first identified as a recommended project in the EUTS Year 2000 Recommended Transportation Plan adopted in 1978. Later plans further emphasized the need for this project and the City of Evansville was committed to pursue this project. The need for and purpose of this project is to address the traffic congestion at intersections and improve overall traffic flow of this major north/south corridor. When completed, the project will connect the two existing 4/5 lane cross-sections of St. Joe between Diamond Avenue and Mill Road and the Ray Becker Parkway. Phase III will construct two additional through lanes from Illinois to Maryland. The west leg of Delaware and the east leg of Maryland will be widened to accommodate left turn lanes. Traffic control signals will be upgraded and connected to the computerized traffic signal system. Phase IV will construct two additional lanes from Maryland to Diamond. The Mesker Park Drive intersection will be realigned from the current 45° Y intersection to a 70° T intersection. Sidewalks will be provided on both sides from Maryland to Mesker Park Drive and on the west side of the street from Mesker Park Drive to Bement Avenue. Phase III will most likely take place during 2003/2004 and Phase IV will most likely take place during 2004/2005. During all this construction. as well as Phases I and II, detours and inconvenience will be encountered for many months. In the long run this project will be of great benefit to the West Side and to the City of Evansville. Although much planning has been done our biggest concern is that input from all concerned be heard. In this regard a public meeting is being held on February 26, 2002 at 6:30 P.M. at the Helfrich Park Middle School. Here you will get more detail and the latest information concerning the plan as well as a chance to provide your input. It will be a good meeting to attend if you can. |
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