By Eric Kuznar

The City of Fishers hosted a public forum at Fishers Junior High School July 27 to update residents and address concerns about its plan for upcoming Ind. 37 construction.

Project Manager Troy Woodruff and American Structurepoint Vice President Mike McBride, who is designing the project’s bridges, gave a presentation for a group of interested and concerned Fishers residents.

The project is estimated to cost $124 million dollars — with $100 million coming from the Indiana Dept. of Transportation and $12 million each paid for by Hamilton County and the City of Fishers.

The construction is meant to fix congestion and failing traffic lights along Ind. 37. According to McBride, a failing traffic light is one that is not considered to be performing at an acceptable level for public transportation.

“You notice those cues at the traffic signals continue to get bigger and bigger year after year,” McBride said. “Only a few cars can get through that green cycle east and west.”

Woodruff said the project is still in the conceptual stage.

“We have not begun to design the actual bridges themselves,” he said. “So when you see pictures, always keep it in the back of your mind that these are conceptual pictures.”

Citizens of Fishers in attendance were able to voice their concerns, and several people were interested in the affect of increased traffic on alternate roads.

Citizens also voiced concern about a pipe that will be implemented to take water away from the construction site.

McBride said the pipe has not been designed yet, but it will be bored 20 feet underground and will spill into a ditch.