unGrid

Oh No!  Not Yet!  While I love the future vision for Carmel, they haven’t opened up 106th or 126th yet.  I am not ready for this announcement!

Construction will begin Monday, January 19th at 136th Street and Keystone Avenue with the clearing of right of way. Utility relocations are expected to begin shortly thereafter. Large scale construction activities are expected to begin in the spring with work continuing through the summer.

The Carmel Board of Public Works (BPW) signed the construction contract for the renovation of the 136th Street and Keystone Avenue intersection with Walsh Construction Company at the BPW meeting on Wednesday, December 17, 2008. Walsh Construction Company was the low bidder for the interchange at approximately $14.3 million. This bid amount was 6% below the engineer’s estimate.

This interchange is being funded from the second installment of $20 million from the State of Indiana as part of the agreement to transfer jurisdiction for Keystone to the City. Mayor Jim Brainard worked diligently to accelerate the February 2009 payment from the State so that City received the $20 million payment on December 17, 2008. Under State of Indiana law, the City must have deposited the funds necessary for a contract prior to signing it.

The bids were fully reviewed by Carmel’s Engineering Department and by American Structurepoint, the project’s design engineer. The current contract allows for the likely closure of Keystone for a period of 45 days. This will save the City approximately $640,000 and allow the interchange to open before the beginning of the 2009 school year. Substantial completion of the 136th Street interchange is anticipated for August 1, 2009.

It is important to the overall schedule for Keystone that construction continue in a timely manner to avoid further delays and any further price increases that could only hinder the project funding. Moving forward with the 136th Street interchange at the present time allows the contractor to accomplish work that is vital to the timely relocation of utilities.

The 136th Street interchange is part of the second phase of a three-year project to lower the grade of Keystone Avenue under six major interchanges along the five-mile stretch. When completed, the north-south traffic on Keystone Avenue will be free-flowing with no traffic lights between 96th Street and 146th Street, and tear-drop shaped roundabouts will manage the east-west traffic flow.