Public Hearing to be held for State Road 163 bridge improvement project in Vermillion County
VERMILLION COUNTY, Ind. -- The Indiana Department of Transportation announces a public hearing will be held on Tuesday, January 17 at the South Vermillion High School, located at 800 Wildcat Drive, 47842 in Clinton. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. The formal presentation will begin at 6:00 p.m.
The purpose of this proposed project is to address the bridge's deteriorating conditions and non-standard lane and shoulder widths of the existing structure. This proposed project will improve the bridge's overall condition, provide a minimum 27-ton load rating, and improve the shoulder widths to improve safety and protect the bridge. The proposed improvements should extend the remaining life of the structure by a minimum of 30 years.
This bridge is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) under Criterion C as a good example of a Parker through truss designed by the Indiana State Highway Commission (ISHC) and built by the Vincennes Bridge Company in 1932. The bridge was also determined to be “Select” per the parameters of the Indiana Historic Bridge Inventory. Impacts to the historic bridge are being processed under the Programmatic Agreement Regarding Management and Preservation of Indiana’s Historic Bridges (Historic Bridges PA).
Due to the bridge's new status as a 'Select' structure, INDOT now must adhere to the federal processes and standards set by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the State Historic Preservation Officer. Currently, a one-way operation is the selected, preferred alternative under those federal mandates. Under this alternative, the project will rehabilitate the existing structure to address the structural condition and reduce the roadway to a single lane. The bridge will have one 11-foot wide travel lane with 4.2-foot wide shoulders and 1.4-foot wide concrete railings. The primary elements of the rehabilitation include increasing the load capacity to HS-15 (27-tons), replacing the bridge deck, replacing all bridge railing, and placing riprap at both abutments. A signal and stop bar will be installed approximately 100 feet from either end of the bridge to maintain bi-directional travel. The SR 163 bridge approaches will have two 11-foot wide travel lanes, 4.5-foot wide shoulders, and guardrails.
The project is located along S.R. 163, approximately 1.2 miles north of S.R. 71. The existing bridge is a 175-foot, single-span, Parker steel through truss bridge on vertical abutments with no skew. This bridge has two 11-foot travel lanes: one in each direction, with 1-foot outside shoulders, for a total clear roadway width of 24 feet. It has aluminum barrier rail mounted on steel posts connected to outside stringers and to truss vertical posts. There are no sidewalks on the bridge or approaches.
Construction is anticipated to begin in the summer of 2024. The proposed maintenance of traffic includes a full bridge closure for approximately eight months, and an official detour using S.R. 163, S.R 71, U.S. 36, and S.R. 63 will be provided. Maintenance of traffic details will be presented during the public hearing. INDOT will coordinate with emergency services, public transit, local school corporation officials, and project stakeholders to ensure potential disruptions and impacts are minimized as much as possible.
The project will impact approximately 435 linear feet of Brouilletts Creek and its floodway and unnamed tributary (UNT) 1 to Brouilletts Creek, due to the need for scour protection. Additionally, it will impact approximately 1.15 acres of terrestrial habitat, including up to 1.0 acre of trees, which will be cleared to provide construction access and relocate utilities. All tree clearing will occur within 100 feet of S.R. 163.
Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) requires Federal agencies to take into account the effects of their undertakings on historic properties. The proposed project does not involve any properties eligible for the NRHP aside from the subject bridge. INDOT, on behalf of the FHWA, has signed a determination of “No Historic Properties Affected” for the project.
In accordance with the NHPA, the views of the public are being sought regarding the effect of the proposed project on the historic elements as per 36 CFR 800.2(d), 800.3(e) and 800.6(a)(4). Pursuant to 36 CFR 800.6(a) (4), the documentation of no historic properties affected specified in 36 CFR 800.11 (e) is available for inspection in the repository locations listed below. The documentation can also be viewed electronically by accessing INDOT’s Section 106 document posting website IN SCOPE at http://erms.indot.in.gov/Section106Documents. This documentation serves as the basis for the “No Historic Properties Affected” finding.
Federal and state funds are proposed to be used for construction of this project. INDOT and FHWA have agreed that this project poses minimal impact to natural environment. A Categorical Exclusion (CE) environmental document has been prepared for the project. The public hearing serves as the opportunity for the public to comment on both the environmental document and the 800.11(e) documentation for Section 106. All comments collected before, during, and after the hearing through January 27, 2023 will be taken into consideration.
- The environmental documentation, Section 106, and preliminary design information is available to view at the following locations:
- Clinton Public Library: 313 S. Fourth Street, Clinton, IN 47842
- INDOT Crawfordsville District Office: 41 West 300 North, Crawfordsville, IN 47933
- INDOT Website: https://www.in.gov/indot/about-indot/central-office/welcome-to-the-crawfordsville-district/
Copies of project documents can be mailed upon request by contacting INDOT Customer Service at 855-INDOT4U (1-855-463-6848).
Public statements for the record will be taken as part of the public hearing procedure. All verbal statements recorded during the public hearing and all written comments submitted prior to, during and for a period of ten (10) days following the hearing date, will be evaluated, considered and addressed in subsequent environmental documentation. Written comments may be submitted prior to the public hearing and within the comment period to Richard Gilyeat, INDOT Project Manager, Crawfordsville District Office, 41 W. 300 North, Crawfordsville, IN 47933 or email RGilyeat@indot.IN.gov. INDOT requests comments be postmarked by Wednesday, February 1, 2023, to be included as part of the public hearing record.
The public hearing is an opportunity for INDOT to meet with members of the community regarding the road work, and offer all interested persons an opportunity to comment on the current preliminary design plans, the environmental document, and Section 106 document for the State Road 63 over Brouilletts Creek Bridge Project in Vermillion County.
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