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U.S. 31 reopening ahead of schedule at Sand Creek

The Indiana Department of Transportation’s multifaceted $8.5 million project on U.S. 31 between Columbus and Seymour will reopen to traffic today — three weeks ahead of schedule.

The state’s contract allowed Milestone Contractors to close U.S. 31 for 240 days to build a new 382-foot bridge over Sand Creek at the Jackson County line with Bartholomew County.

During the closure, U.S. 31 approaches to the bridge — located 7.2 miles south of State Road 7 — were raised five feet and ditches were cut on all sides. In addition, a culvert was replaced north of Sand Creek and an arch structure was built south of Sand Creek at Quade Ditch.

The U.S. 31 project also called for building a single-lane roundabout at County Road 400S, 1.6 miles south of State Road 7 in Bartholomew County. Originally slated for 2017 construction, the Southern Crossing roundabout was advanced to this year to complete all significant project operations in one year.

The roundabout, featuring an 18-foot travel lane, 10-foot truck apron and 156-foot outside diameter, was opened to traffic Aug. 2.

The U.S. 31 project got underway in mid-March when crews began repairing and resurfacing 16 miles of the north-south highway. Pavement work included replacement of a section under the CSX railroad bridge between East County Avenue and County Road 700N in Jackson County.