Tricky traffic: Lanes close around Eli Lilly construction site

Maria Flora, The Lebanon Reporter, Ind.
·4 min read

May 21—Traffic got trickier in Boone County on Monday, aggravating homeowners and motorists.

Most of the surprises for the driving public occurred around the Eli Lilly and Co. construction site on Lebanon's north side.

Witt Road from County Road 300 North to C.R. 375 N. converted to northbound traffic only for the duration of this week, weather permitting. And westbound traffic is also prohibited on C.R. 375 from C.R. 100 W. to the Lilly site this week.

Construction crews this week will place concrete barriers between that section of Witt Road, also known as C.R. 150 W., and a field to the east. Witt Road will be widened into the field in coming months. And a roundabout will be built at the intersection of Witt Road and C.R. 300 N.

Large stacks of aqua colored pipe now lie in the field at the northeast corner of that intersection. The pipe is for a sanitary sewer being installed from Lebanon Utilities to the Lilly site and LEAP Lebanon Research and Innovation District. Lilly's $3.7 billion pharmaceutical complex is the anchor, and only, tenant for LEAP thus far.

For this week, traffic leaving Lilly must now exit via C.R. 375 eastward to Ind. 39, Boone County Highway Department Director Nick Parr told Boone County Commissioners on Monday morning.

Parr estimated the closure of southbound Witt Road forced an additional 200 to 300 loads per day of material onto C.R. 375 N.

Commissioners President Don Lawson said multiple residents along C.R. 375 N. called him about heavy construction vehicles, dump trucks and the like, speeding to Ind. 39.

Lawson asked Boone County Sheriff Tony Harris for help, and Harris said he would again set up trailers that use radar detection to show drivers their speed. The trailers record information that includes the frequency of speeders and when offenses are the heaviest.

Harris said he will also increase enforcement in the area.

But traffic volume on nearby county roads should soon improve when Lilly employees begin entering a new north gate instead of the southern one, Parr said.

The shift to the north gate was expected to begin Monday when the state was to reopen Witt Road to Ind. 47 after a months-long widening project and installation of turn lanes and a traffic signal at the intersection.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation is developing the LEAP site and funding infrastructural and about $15 million in road construction to accommodate it.

Also as part of the project, C.R. 450 N. was converted from gravel to pavement and a new connector road, C.R. 100 W., built to connect C.R. 450 N. to C.R. 375 N.

The Lilly site swallowed and closed Witt Road from C.R. 375 N. to C.R. 450 N. That section of road formerly allowed farm equipment to move from field to field while avoiding travel on Ind. 39.

The connector road is intended to accommodate farm machinery, but farmers must now traverse CSX Railroad Crossings on the two east-west roads. And the crossings are in "terrible" condition, Parr said.

The crossings were in rough condition in 2018 when CSX passed them by after ripping out pavement at another crossing without permission. Boone County Commissioners voiced concern about scheduling and ambulances maintaining access to the whole county during repairs. Then CSX just left the county and its rough crossings, not to return until last summer.

Even in summer, the crossings at C.R. 375 N. and 450 N. were left undone in anticipation of later coordination for the road improvements.

CSX has not yet given the state its requested right-of-way permits for the improvements, Parr said.

The railroad ties have deteriorated and the crossings are significantly narrower than the widened roads they cross. Motorists feel secure driving on the new pavement, only to be surprised when entering the crossings at road speed. For safety, Parr suggests significant deceleration before crossing.

Parr also updated commissioners on a number of road and bridge projects elsewhere in the county.

* Bridge No. 21 on C.R. 900 N. between C.R. 1100 W. and the Montgomery County line reopened last week ahead of schedule. Crews replaced damage done by termites to the bridge's previous wooden support system.

* C.R. 100 S. just W. of C.R. 600 E., Whitestown, reopened Monday after a two-month closure.

* The Indiana Department of Transportation will restrict lanes of Ind. 39 south of Lebanon to Lizton for several weeks, beginning this week for a road conservation project.

* The state has begun seeking the right-of-way required for a roundabout at C.R. 100 S. and C.R. 400 W., Lebanon.

* Construction may begin as early as winter on Bridge No. 84 on C.R. 400 E., north of C.R. 100 N. The project does not require pavement, so it may be accomplished in winter and should take about 60 days.

* Commissioners approved $6,000 for a study on bridge No. 203, built in 1965 over Eagle Creek on Willow Road north of Temple Avenue in Zionsville. The bridge needs at least a new deck to extend its life another 25 to 30 years, Parr said. But funding has not been secured and there is no timeline for the work.