The City of Carmel is planning to construct two new roundabouts on Main Street near Carmel High School to slow traffic and improve pedestrian safety in the busy area.
The roundabouts are planned at 4th Avenue East, soon to be renamed Richland Avenue, and Lexington Boulevard and will include raised crosswalks. Two mid-block crossings with rapid flashing beacons to alert drivers of pedestrian traffic are planned between the roundabouts.
Carmel City Engineer Jeremy Kashman presented plans for the roundabouts to the Carmel Clay Schools school board at its Jan. 24 meeting. He said the existing road as designed does not encourage or force drivers to slow down as they pass the high school or Carmel Clay Public Library or enter the Arts & Design District, which are all busy pedestrian areas.
“This is a predominant area where we get a fair amount of speeding concerns, especially as you have vehicles driving fast through a school zone and then down into the Arts & Design District,” Kashman told the school board.
Work on the roundabout at 4th Avenue NE is expected to begin after the school year ends in late May. The city hopes to construct the roundabout at Lexington Boulevard this summer, as well, although utility issues could delay that part of the project. If that roundabout can’t be built this summer, it is expected to be constructed in the summer of 2023. The city aims to substantially complete the project before school resumes in mid-August.
The project will also include upgrades to Main Street, including reducing it from a four-lane to a two-lane roadway and installing a landscaped median to provide additional safety for pedestrians at the future mid-block crossings.
Main Street will be closed during construction between 4th Avenue East to Lexington Boulevard.
The project is expected to go out for bid in March.
