Husky Trail Roundabout Project Starts Monday
March 28, 2017 at 5:15 p.m.
By David [email protected]
During a public meeting Monday night, area residents and businesses heard details of the project, including phasing, detours and a timetable.
Mayor Joe Thallemer said the city has worked with the Warsaw Community School Corporation, nearby businesses, the local hospitals and emergency services on the details of the construction project.
He indicated the project goes back to 2012 and was approved by the Indiana Department of Transportation then.
“Initially, this project was going to be phased in five separate phases. The idea was to try and keep a little bit of the road open and be very restricted,”?he said. But as it was discussed, the five phases became two.
Project Manager and City Planner Jeremy Skinner said, “Going into this project, we had a couple of things we wanted to accomplish. We wanted to make Husky Trail safer, and by doing that we wanted to look at improving the traffic circulation through this corridor.”
The biggest issue the city had was the “very narrow” two-lane road, he said, with no curb and gutter, sidewalks and no lighting. The new construction will address all of that, with an 8-foot sidewalk on the Harrison Elementary School side and a 5-foot sidewalk on the other side. The street lights throughout the corridor will be decorative similar to the lights on Parker Street.
“The biggest improvement throughout the corridor is the roundabout that will be at Mariner Drive,” Skinner said. “As the project developed over the last four years, one of the things that we were faced with was Parkview being built and the YMCA being relocated out here, and the continued commercial growth around Menards. One of the things we wanted to address was what the future of that Mariner Driver/Husky Trail intersection looked like and how we were going to control traffic through there.”
Skinner said the city had several options: continue to leave the intersection as a two-way stop, doing a four-way stop in the future or a traffic signal. He said the nice thing about doing a roundabout is the city can avoid all those potential conflicts in the future. “With the roundabout, it will allow safe and more efficient traffic flow through that intersection as Parkview and YMCA continue to grow, as well as commercial through this area,” he said.
“In essence, we will be widening Husky Trail to three lanes, although it will not be a center turn lane. We are actually creating designated left and right turn lanes throughout the corridor. So much like Center Street, it’ll be three lanes wide, but that center lane will actually be marked left and right turns. It will not be just an open turn where you come in and out,” Skinner said.
On the construction phasing, he said the focus was on the two main entrances off of Husky Trail – one being Mariner Drive and the other being North Pointe.
The first construction phase, which starts Monday and runs through early August, will include the roundabout and the street all the way to just south of North Pointe Drive. During that phase, it will be open to local traffic at all times, but not to through traffic. Through traffic will need to take the detour. For example, if through traffic is coming through Mariner Drive to Parkview, they will be detoured around U.S. 30 up to CR 200N and back down Husky Trail into North Pointe Drive, which will be open during phase I, he said.
“Hopefully, the plan is that for the remainder of this year, school’s access will be restricted to North Pointe Drive. As we finish that phase in August, and school reopens, the roundabout will be done, their access will be through Mariner Drive and then North Pointe will be phase II,”?Skinner said.
Phase II will be under construction until the end of October or early November. It will begin just south of North Pointe and go all the way up to Sophia Lane. During phase II, through traffic headed south will be routed to CR 200N back to U.S. 30 and 30 back to Parker Street and back up. Local traffic will have access at all times – just like during phase I.
“It’s a very short construction time period. We wanted to get this project in and out as fast as possible. So from April to the end of October, the entire project will be substantially completed,” he said.
Skinner said the road will be blocked just north of the Martin’s entrance for phase I. Signs will state “local traffic only, no through traffic.”
Helser Addition residents will be able to access their homes.
The first part of the project will involve construction of storm line.
Detour signs will be set along U.S. 30 so any through traffic should see the signs there and be directed up to CR 200N and back on Husky Trail.
For Phase II, as one comes down Husky Trail from the north, signs will direct drivers from 200N to U.S. 30 and back around, he said.
Phend & Brown is the contractor for the project. Federal funds are paying for 80 percent of the $3.2 million project.
Thallemer said, “So, in general, the two-phase construction is going to basically close Husky Trail from Mariner to just south of North Pointe, from April 3 to ... somewhere in August. Depending on weather and construction schedule, we’ll try and make people aware of that. Then we are going to flip-flop that and close the north portion from North Pointe up to the end of the project so that people will have to come the other way. North Pointe and/or Mariner Drive will always be accessible.”
He said local traffic does not include school traffic. School traffic will have to follow the signs.
The local traffic is limited to the residents in the area. If necessary, Thallemer said Warsaw police will monitor the traffic. Residents can contact Skinner for updates or to express any concerns during the project.
“We’re going to work very hard during the project to make sure that initially when people are getting used to what’s going on, that we have people out there to assist and help,” Thallemer said.
Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory Chief Mike Wilson offered some reassurances.
“We’re just going to make sure, daily we will check your areas. You’ve got fire hydrants in some locations. ... We will drive your area every day. We will look and see what we need to do to adjust our operations, whether it’s medical, fire; and we will pass on the information along to law enforcement,” Wilson said. “Our goal is to make sure you’re safe, and we’re still able to get in and out with our big trucks. I’m sure that it’s going to work fine. ... We want you to have that peace of mind. We’re going to make sure that we can get in to you one way or another. OK?”
Harrison Elementary School Principal Matt Deeds said he will get information out to parents about pickup and drop-off of students.
Drawings and more information on the Husky Trail project can be found under “Husky Trail/Mariners Drive Roundabout” under Planning Department on the city’s website at www.warsaw.in.gov.
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During a public meeting Monday night, area residents and businesses heard details of the project, including phasing, detours and a timetable.
Mayor Joe Thallemer said the city has worked with the Warsaw Community School Corporation, nearby businesses, the local hospitals and emergency services on the details of the construction project.
He indicated the project goes back to 2012 and was approved by the Indiana Department of Transportation then.
“Initially, this project was going to be phased in five separate phases. The idea was to try and keep a little bit of the road open and be very restricted,”?he said. But as it was discussed, the five phases became two.
Project Manager and City Planner Jeremy Skinner said, “Going into this project, we had a couple of things we wanted to accomplish. We wanted to make Husky Trail safer, and by doing that we wanted to look at improving the traffic circulation through this corridor.”
The biggest issue the city had was the “very narrow” two-lane road, he said, with no curb and gutter, sidewalks and no lighting. The new construction will address all of that, with an 8-foot sidewalk on the Harrison Elementary School side and a 5-foot sidewalk on the other side. The street lights throughout the corridor will be decorative similar to the lights on Parker Street.
“The biggest improvement throughout the corridor is the roundabout that will be at Mariner Drive,” Skinner said. “As the project developed over the last four years, one of the things that we were faced with was Parkview being built and the YMCA being relocated out here, and the continued commercial growth around Menards. One of the things we wanted to address was what the future of that Mariner Driver/Husky Trail intersection looked like and how we were going to control traffic through there.”
Skinner said the city had several options: continue to leave the intersection as a two-way stop, doing a four-way stop in the future or a traffic signal. He said the nice thing about doing a roundabout is the city can avoid all those potential conflicts in the future. “With the roundabout, it will allow safe and more efficient traffic flow through that intersection as Parkview and YMCA continue to grow, as well as commercial through this area,” he said.
“In essence, we will be widening Husky Trail to three lanes, although it will not be a center turn lane. We are actually creating designated left and right turn lanes throughout the corridor. So much like Center Street, it’ll be three lanes wide, but that center lane will actually be marked left and right turns. It will not be just an open turn where you come in and out,” Skinner said.
On the construction phasing, he said the focus was on the two main entrances off of Husky Trail – one being Mariner Drive and the other being North Pointe.
The first construction phase, which starts Monday and runs through early August, will include the roundabout and the street all the way to just south of North Pointe Drive. During that phase, it will be open to local traffic at all times, but not to through traffic. Through traffic will need to take the detour. For example, if through traffic is coming through Mariner Drive to Parkview, they will be detoured around U.S. 30 up to CR 200N and back down Husky Trail into North Pointe Drive, which will be open during phase I, he said.
“Hopefully, the plan is that for the remainder of this year, school’s access will be restricted to North Pointe Drive. As we finish that phase in August, and school reopens, the roundabout will be done, their access will be through Mariner Drive and then North Pointe will be phase II,”?Skinner said.
Phase II will be under construction until the end of October or early November. It will begin just south of North Pointe and go all the way up to Sophia Lane. During phase II, through traffic headed south will be routed to CR 200N back to U.S. 30 and 30 back to Parker Street and back up. Local traffic will have access at all times – just like during phase I.
“It’s a very short construction time period. We wanted to get this project in and out as fast as possible. So from April to the end of October, the entire project will be substantially completed,” he said.
Skinner said the road will be blocked just north of the Martin’s entrance for phase I. Signs will state “local traffic only, no through traffic.”
Helser Addition residents will be able to access their homes.
The first part of the project will involve construction of storm line.
Detour signs will be set along U.S. 30 so any through traffic should see the signs there and be directed up to CR 200N and back on Husky Trail.
For Phase II, as one comes down Husky Trail from the north, signs will direct drivers from 200N to U.S. 30 and back around, he said.
Phend & Brown is the contractor for the project. Federal funds are paying for 80 percent of the $3.2 million project.
Thallemer said, “So, in general, the two-phase construction is going to basically close Husky Trail from Mariner to just south of North Pointe, from April 3 to ... somewhere in August. Depending on weather and construction schedule, we’ll try and make people aware of that. Then we are going to flip-flop that and close the north portion from North Pointe up to the end of the project so that people will have to come the other way. North Pointe and/or Mariner Drive will always be accessible.”
He said local traffic does not include school traffic. School traffic will have to follow the signs.
The local traffic is limited to the residents in the area. If necessary, Thallemer said Warsaw police will monitor the traffic. Residents can contact Skinner for updates or to express any concerns during the project.
“We’re going to work very hard during the project to make sure that initially when people are getting used to what’s going on, that we have people out there to assist and help,” Thallemer said.
Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory Chief Mike Wilson offered some reassurances.
“We’re just going to make sure, daily we will check your areas. You’ve got fire hydrants in some locations. ... We will drive your area every day. We will look and see what we need to do to adjust our operations, whether it’s medical, fire; and we will pass on the information along to law enforcement,” Wilson said. “Our goal is to make sure you’re safe, and we’re still able to get in and out with our big trucks. I’m sure that it’s going to work fine. ... We want you to have that peace of mind. We’re going to make sure that we can get in to you one way or another. OK?”
Harrison Elementary School Principal Matt Deeds said he will get information out to parents about pickup and drop-off of students.
Drawings and more information on the Husky Trail project can be found under “Husky Trail/Mariners Drive Roundabout” under Planning Department on the city’s website at www.warsaw.in.gov.
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