Planning turns into construction on roadway improvements throughout Westfield
“Westfield where you want to be” signs can be found throughout the city greeting motorists around impending improvements. The tagline on the metal signs also is intended to inform the public that the project – typically an infrastructure improvement – is being funded by the proceeds from the city’s utility sale to Citizens Westfield.
“None of the projects would be happening today without the utility sale,” Mayor Andy Cook said.
Funding
The city is using funds from the water and wastewater utilities sale to retire all of the utility’s $45 million in debt with the remaining amount of approximately $40 million for infrastructure investments.
“One of the challenges with bonds is working with INDOT to take advantage of state and federal funds to further leverage our local funds. We’re working real close with INDOT to extend our funds,” Cook said, adding that funding opportunities include 50/50 and 80/20 cost splits between Westfield and the government. “Right now, if we are able to leverage some of the funds we can complete everything on the council’s improvement list – trails and roads – and have enough funding for other projects we’ll be proposing to the council fairly soon.”
Grand Park
As guests fill the 400-acre sports complex weekend after weekend, Cook said roadwork continues at Grand Park. The park will have three entrances – Spring Mill and Wheeler roads and 191st Street. Cook said Wheeler Road will be improved with two lanes to the west of the current roadway. Other planned construction projects include a roundabout at Tomlinson Road which will be built this fall, cal-de-sacs at the ends of 196th Streets between U.S. 31, and widening and improvements on 191st Street as additional lanes will be constructed to Spring Mill Road.
Cook said, “I’ve heard just a few complaints from out-of-towners about construction. I’ve been surprised. (To control traffic) we stagger games and start times and worked very hard on signage off the highway.”
Current projects
As progress moves from the planning stage to construction, Cook said visible work can be seen at the intersection of 161st Street and Carey Road. Sitework and utility relocation is being done before the roundabout can be built.
“We’re in the land acquisition stage of 161st Street and Oak Ridge Road, which is tied up legally, and 156th Street and Spring Mill Road. We’re just about complete and will move to the bid stage pretty quickly,” he said.
Cook said the design and land acquisition also is complete for the North Union Street extension: “We’re very careful. We can’t create more than we can maintain. If we build a mile we have to be sure we are providing enough funds to maintain.”
Resurfacing
Cook said resurfacing projects are currently taking place and are different than the pothole repairs the public works department has been making since the harsh winter. Most funding for resurfacing projects will not come from the utility sale proceeds.
“Maintenance dollars are pretty good because of an uptick in the city’s assessed value,” Cook said.
Trails
Cook said trails are a huge piece of the utility sale proceeds. The main focus with addressing trails is connecting the community.
“There are four locations where we have trails along roadways missing gaps,” City Council President Jim Ake said. “Technically, one can’t get to the Midland Trail without traveling on city streets.”
Land acquisition is taking place for Carey Road and 166th and 161st Street.
“We’re working on design on fill-in trail pieces to connect trails to neighborhoods and the Monon and Midland trails,” Cook said.
Cook said the city will design its portion of Midland Trail to run from Gunther Boulevard to Gray Street, which will connect with Noblesville’s portion of the trail. He said land acquisition will take place this year and construction in 2015.
“It will connect us with downtown Noblesville. Their portion will be done in the next two years,” he said.
Once the trail projects are completed, Cook said the city will have more than 70 miles of pathways.
“Westfield has more miles per capita of trails than any city in Indiana,” he said. “It becomes a huge asset.”
U.S. 31
“Everything in Westfield should be substantially completed by the end of 2015,” Cook said. “It’ll be finished in a year and a half. Six months later people will forget it ever happened.”
Due to safety concerns, crews have closed access at 191st Street to/from U.S. 31 through the fall of 2015. A temporary turnaround is in place on 191st Street just west of U.S. 31. Recently, a temporary signal was added at the intersection to safely maintain access near Grand Park during construction.
Site work at U.S. 31 and Ind. 32 began two weeks ago. Cook said the center of the Ind. 32 and 191st Street intersections have been moved to the west.
“Now the northbound lanes really remain out of the direct construction lane,” he said. “At no time will Ind. 32 traffic be disrupted except for a few minutes here and there … I talk with INDOT every week and they are ahead of schedule. They’re moving very well.”
Projects list
The city is using approximately $40 million from the sale of Westfield’s water and wastewater utilities to Citizens Energy Group for much needed infrastructure investments such as new streets, sidewalks and trail expansions – without raising taxes.
“We’re investing money into infrastructure to spawn economic development,” Deputy Mayor Todd Burtron said. “It’s not a hard and fast list.”
The list of infrastructure projects and year to be constructed includes:
2014
186th Street and Grand Park Blvd roundabout – $500,000
186th Street from Grand Park Blvd to Kinsey Road – $800,000
161st Street and Carey Road Roundabout – $4M
156th Street and Spring Mill Road roundabout – $300,000
161st Street and Oak Ridge Road roundabout – $500,000
Tomlinson Road from 186th Street to 191st Street – $100,000
N. Union Street extension from Union Street to East Street – $750,000
S. Poplar Street from Ind. 32 to 169th Street – $350,000
Neighborhood improvements – $1M
Wheeler Road from Ind. 32 to 181st Street – $1M
Union Street and 169th Street – Study
Monon Trail from Midland Trail to Ind. 32 – $350,000
Connector 161st Street from Spring Mill Road to Oak Ridge Road – $300,000
Connector 156th Street from Spring Mill Road to Oak Ridge Road – $300,000
Connector 169th Street from Oak Ridge Road to Monon Trail – $200,000
Connector Carey Road from 161st Street to Midland Trail – $300,000
2014/2015
191st Street and Tomlinson Road roundabout – $2M
Grand Park Blvd from 186th Street to Wheeler Road – $500,000
U.S. 31 enhancements (roundabout lighting and upgrades) – $425,000
Mill Street extensionGrand Junction – $1M
Monon Trail from Ind. 32 to 191st Street – $800,000
2015
191st Street from U.S. 31 to Horton Road – $5M
Oak Ridge Road and Greyhound Pass roundabout – $2M
Oak Ridge Road and 169th Street roundabout – $2M
Midland Trail from Gunther Blvd to Gray Road – $2M
2015/2016
Oak Road and 151st Street – Study
Oak Road and 161st Street – Study
2016
East Street straighten curve – $1M
Union Street and 161st Street roundabout – $2M
Spring Mill Road and Greyhound Pass roundabout – $2M
West Access Road (Union Street extension) – $3M
Monon Bridge over Ind. 32 – $3.5M
In addition to the infrastructure, other projects include Grand Junction, U.S. 31 and Ind. 32 enhancements, park projects and the Spring Mill Road corridor.
