State may give up control of some Indiana roads

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) - Officials in southern Indiana’s Monroe County are considering whether to take over portions of three state highways around Bloomington.

The proposal from the Indiana Department of Transportation would give the county a boost in road funding while making it responsible for maintaining the routes, The Herald-Times reported (https://bit.ly/1oRgTJ0 ).

County highway director Bill Williams said he’s reviewing how much the state has spent on repairs, snow plowing and other work before deciding whether to support the change.

“We’re going to look at their maintenance costs and what they do, and how that will factor into our department,” Williams said.

The routes involved are Indiana 45 northeast and southwest of Bloomington, Indiana 48 west of the city and Indiana 446 north and south of Lake Monroe. Those highways generally carry less traffic than the Indiana 37 and Indiana 46 routes into Bloomington that would remain under state control.

The discussion comes as construction is underway on the Interstate 69 extension from near the Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center southwest of Bloomington to Indiana 37.

A contract with the state would put maintenance of about 33 miles of current state highway under the county’s control in perpetuity.

“You’d be taking these for the long haul,” Sandra Flum, Interstate 69 project manager, told county officials this week. “Under the ground is still the state roadway. How you maintain it is up to you.”

The deal would give county officials control of the highway right of ways and what development or projects could be allowed along them.

Officials estimate the road switch would give Monroe County $3.7 million in one-time federal credits and an extra $172,000 a year in road funding from the state. Maintenance and repair costs are projected at about $33 million over the next 20 years.

All those additional expenses for the county will have to be considered, county Commissioner Julie Thomas said.

“We want to make sure that we would be compensated fairly,” she said.

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Information from: The Herald Times, https://www.heraldtimesonline.com