New Interchange Opening Tuesday at U.S. 31 & State Road 28 near Tipton
The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) and Rieth-Riley Construction announce the new U.S. 31 and State Road 28 interchange near Tipton will open to traffic on schedule on Tuesday, Nov. 22, just before the Thanksgiving holiday.
 The new U.S. 31 and State Road 28 interchange near FCA US Tipton Transmission Plant, Tipton, Ind. Photo courtesy of Derek Crownover, Nov. 16, 2016.
INDOT Commissioner Brandye Hendrickson, contractor Rieth-Riley Construction, construction project personnel, Tipton Mayor Don Havens, county commissioners, representatives of the FCA US Tipton Transmission Plant, and other members of the Tipton community celebrated the impending opening of the new U.S. 31 and State Road interchange with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday.
About the project
Interchange
ramps regulated by roundabouts will provide full access to and from U.S. 31 and
State Road 28, a new bridge will carry State Road 28 traffic across U.S. 31,
and U.S. 31 will open to two free-flowing lanes in each direction before the
end of the day on Tuesday, Nov. 22.
Rieth-Riley
closed State Road 28 and reduced U.S. 31 to one lane in each direction in July
to build the $10.8 million interchange, which has removed one more traffic
signal from U.S. 31.
“Combined
with the previously completed U.S. 31 Major Moves projects in Hamilton County,
Kokomo and South Bend, more than 33 traffic signals have been removed from U.S.
31 north of Indianapolis,” INDOT Commissioner Brandye Hendrickson said. “This
project exemplifies INDOT’s mission to increase safety, improve mobility and
support economic growth in Indiana.”
The
project bridged State Road 28 over U.S. 31 and built single-lane roundabouts to
regulate State Road 28 and interchange ramp traffic. The roundabouts were designed with special
consideration for agricultural equipment and increased truck traffic near the
FCA US Tipton Transmission plant.
About roundabouts
INDOT
is using roundabouts to replace some traditional four-way traffic signals to
reduce crashes, traffic delays, fuel consumption, air pollution and
construction costs, while improving safety, increasing capacity and enhancing
intersection beauty.
Roundabouts
are becoming relatively common in Indiana, with more than 256 constructed
through 2016 by both INDOT and cities and towns. More than a dozen additional roundabouts are
currently being planned by INDOT.
Still,
many drivers remain unfamiliar with the rules of roundabouts. INDOT urges all motorists to continuously stay
educated on new traffic laws, driving safety tips and types of
infrastructure. INDOT provides these rules of roundabouts and offers other helpful
information at http://www.in.gov/indot/3249.htm.
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Approach:
- Slow down and stay in your lane
- Yield to vehicles already in the
roundabout
- Obey one-way signs at all times
- Yield to pedestrians and bicycles
if there is a crosswalk
Enter:
- Wait for traffic in the
roundabout; it has the right-of-way
- When traffic clears, merge to the
right and continue to stay in your lane
Proceed:
- Continue through the roundabout
until you reach your exit point.
- Avoid stopping in the roundabout
Exit:
- Signal and exit to the right
- Left turns are completed by
circling around the center island and then making a right turn to exit
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Stay informed
Motorists can learn about highway work zones and other traffic alerts at indot.carsprogram.org, 1-800-261-ROAD (7623) or 511 from a mobile phone.
Subscribe to receive text and email alerts about INDOT projects at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/INDOT/subscriber/new.
Follow INDOT East Central on Facebook and Twitter. Find links to INDOT social media pages at http://www.in.gov/indot/3074.htm.
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