Editor’s note: The following is a press release from the City of Bloomington. Bloom has republished it here with minor edits for style and clarity.
Numerous infrastructure improvement projects are underway this season to advance community goals, including safety, sustainability, accessibility, equity, economic vitality, and quality of life in Bloomington. The City of Bloomington will provide regular public updates on a range of these improvements as they progress.
The 7-Line Multimodal Corridor
Construction of the 7-Line is scheduled to start in early June. The Bicentennial Bond project will provide a protected east-west bicycle lane, improved pedestrian amenities, and improved bus corridor along 7th Street to connect the B-Line Trail, downtown, the Indiana University campus, and neighborhoods on the city’s east and west sides and to improve comfort, safety, and efficiency for all road users.
Last week, Milestone Contractors was awarded the $2.6 million construction contract for the project. During construction, the eastbound lane of 7th Street will be closed to traffic, with periodic closures of the westbound lane and some sidewalk closures. All travel lanes and sidewalks east of Indiana Avenue will be reopened to traffic prior to August 9 to accommodate the return of the IU student population. The City is coordinating with property owners and residents along the route to minimize impacts and will share updates about changes to Bloomington Transit routes and schedules during construction, which is expected to continue throughout the year.
Recover Forward Sidewalk Replacement Project
More than 2700 linear feet of new sidewalk and curb ramps have been installed on West 6th Street as part of Mayor John Hamilton’s Recover Forward initiative. The project replaced sidewalks on both sides of the street, including 12 ADA ramps, eight driveway entrances, and six alleyway entrances. More than 200 pre-existing trip hazards caused by street trees were also corrected as a part of the project. The improvements were part of a $250,000 package of sidewalk replacement projects focusing investments in low- and moderate-income areas to improve overall walkability in the areas that see high volumes of pedestrian traffic. Improvements have also been made to a 327-foot section of sidewalk along the east side of Elm Street from West 4th Street to West Kirkwood, which includes two ADA ramps and two driveway entrances. Selection of both sites was based on data from the 2018 Pavement Condition Report of the city’s 234 miles of street network as well as data collected via staff site visits.
7th and Dunn Signal Improvement Project
A project to replace and upgrade the traffic signal equipment and make geometric improvements to the intersection of East 17th and North Dunn streets is underway. For a brief period of time, the signal at the intersection will be temporarily converted to a four-way stop to allow for utility relocation. The intersection will be closed for construction on June 1, reopening upon anticipated completion of the project on August 14. This project will also include the placement of signal hardware, curbing, sidewalk, asphalt, pavement markings, landscaping, and stormwater infrastructure. More information about this project is available here.
North Fee Lane Steam Line Installation
The schedule for IU’s steam line installation project on North Fee Lane has been shifted back one week, requiring the full closure of North Fee Lane from East 13th Street to East 17th Street from May 24 through May 28. The sidewalk on the east side of the street will remain open during the full closure. From May 28 through July 31, the northbound lane of Fee and the sidewalk on the east side of the street will be closed, with the sidewalk on the west side of North Fee Lane remaining open. A detour utilizing East 10th Street, North Woodlawn Avenue, and East 17th Street will be in place. This project will install a steam line serving housing units on the north side of the IU campus. The closure was approved by the Board of Public Works on May 11.
Discovery Parkway
Construction will begin in early June on a project to install a multiuse path along the north side of East Discovery Parkway, the newly named road from the Ind. 45/46 Bypass to East 10th Street, providing access to the IU Health Regional Academic Health Center. The project will also resurface a section of East Discovery Parkway and install new curbs. The project is funded primarily by IU Health to support the new hospital and will be completed before the hospital opens later this year. More information about this project is available here.
South College Mall Road Resurfacing/Sare Road Multiuse Path and Intersection Improvements Project
South College Mall Road is currently being resurfaced from East 3rd Street to East Moores Pike. Starting the week of May 24, the contractor will be milling the roadway during the day and paving through the night in order to reduce the impacts on traffic. As part of this project, curb ramps are being upgraded for ADA compliance along South College Mall Road and bike lanes are being designated from East Moores Pike to East Buick Cadillac Boulevard. The project is partly supported by state funding through a Community Crossing Matching Grant. More information is available here.
Nearby, improvements at the Sare Road-Moores Pike intersection and a new multiuse path on the west side of Sare Road from approximately Cathcart Street to Buttonwood Lane have been largely completed, and all lanes are open. More information is available here.
Hidden River Pathway Project
The Hidden River Pathway Project is progressing with the replacement of the network of culverts that carry the Campus River (formerly the Jordan River) from Dunn Meadow on the Indiana University campus southwest under downtown Bloomington to West 1st Street and South College, where it reappears as Clear Creek.
The project has required the closure of East Smith Avenue from South Lincoln to South Washington streets for approximately two months in order to remove the existing box culvert. The contractor is coordinating with the neighboring residents, businesses, and nonprofits to diminish impacts. Through June 10, South Washington Street is dedicated to The Project School pickup traffic only between East Third Street and East Smith Avenue from 3 to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, with flaggers directing traffic during that hour. Work on the water main and storm drains continues this week on East Third Street, requiring lane closures between South Grant and South Lincoln Streets. The road will reopen once water line testing is complete.
Over the next two years, City of Bloomington Utilities and its contractor, Milestone Contractors, will be reconstructing 1,829 feet of culverts. In addition to stormwater improvements, some reconstruction of sanitary sewers and water main infrastructure will be simultaneously completed to support Bloomington’s vibrant downtown. More information, maps, and updates about the Hidden River Pathway Project are available here.
