6:06 p.m.: Indiana 37 closed for Major Moves

By Brandi Watters

May 12, 2008 06:05 pm

— ELWOOD — An estimated $12.4 million will be poured into Indiana 37 in Elwood over the next 90 days.
As part of the Indiana Department of Transportation’s Major Moves campaign, the stretch of the state highway between Indiana 9 and Indiana 26 will be shut down for resurfacing and widening for three months.
Scott Sipes of INDOT estimates that the project will be wrapped up by Nov. 30 and says more than 150 pipe and culvert structures will be replaced.
“The county roads will have turn lanes and there’s an eight-foot shoulder the whole length,” Sipes said.
INDOT broke ground on the project Monday in a ceremony complete with golden shovels and the promise of a quick reconstruction of the roadway.
INDOT spokesman Harry Maginity said the Major Moves campaign was made possible by the sale of the Indiana Toll Road. “It’s kind of unique. We’re the only state around us that has highway money.
“This is toll road money,” Maginity said, gesturing to the 12 miles of highway to be resurfaced along Ind. 37.
Maginity said the state will spend $12 billion fixing Indiana highways by 2015 under the Major Moves project.
In Elwood, Brocks First Asphalt company was awarded the contract for the Ind. 37 project. Ryan Schott of Brocks said six inches of asphalt will be added to the surface of the road.
As INDOT officials brought out shovels in Monday’s ceremonial ground-breaking, a physical ground-breaking took place in the background as workers plunged a heavy “headache” ball to the Ind. 37 bridge, attempting to break its concrete surface.
Along with widening of the highway, the bridge will be resurfaced with a concrete overlay made with latex. Motorists are advised to use Ind. 9 as a detour.

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