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Last updated on Sunday, March 11, 2018
(BLOOMINGTON) - Traffic on South Walnut Street will be restricted to two lanes, and the busy intersection at Grimes Lane will be closed for eight weeks this summer for a sewer upgrade project.
The Herald Times reports, construction will shift all traffic between South Monon Drive and Allen Street to the east side of South Walnut Street, and close cross traffic at Grimes Lane. Both southbound lanes of traffic will be closed during the project, and the two lanes of northbound traffic will be converted to one northbound lane and one southbound lane.
Drivers will not be able to make left turns along the stretch, whether headed south or north.The four-way stoplight at Grimes Lane will be shut off, allowing northbound and southbound traffic on South Walnut to move through the intersection without a stop.
Cross traffic, east and west, at the intersection will be blocked off, but with access to the three businesses adjacent to that intersection - Family Video, a Mobil gas station and Bloomington Paint and Wallpaper.
Construction is scheduled to start sometime between late May and late July, and end no later than Sept. 28. Detour routes around the project have not been finalized. The sewer upgrade project is funded through a rate increase to City of Bloomington Utilities customers' bills that kicked in last year.
The new sewer pipe will provide for more storage and capacity, with the goal of stopping the sanitary sewer overflows that have plagued the area for many years. Nine of the 26 sanitary sewer overflows in 2016, and three of the 16 overflows in 2017, were in the 100 block of West Grimes Lane and 1900 block of South Walnut Street.
The public works board must still approve the utility request to close the portion of South Walnut and the intersection with Grimes. The board will review the request at 5:30 p.m. March 20 at City Hall, 401 N. Morton St. Those who cannot attend the public meeting can share comments via email to planning@bloomington.in.gov.
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