“On Lafayette [Avenue] from Fort Harrison Road to Haythorne [Avenue], we’ll be widening the roadway, adding center left turn lanes. Along with that, we will be doing storm sewage work to provide drainage for the roadway. There’s a sidewalk that will be on one side,” said Marcus Maurer, assistant city engineer for Terre Haute.
Those who work on Lafayette Avenue said it’s necessary.
“I’ve lived in Terre Haute most of my life and Lafayette has always been a very heavy congested area,” said Christopher Wright. He is a barber at a salon adjacent to the railroad.
Jeain Somers rides her bike along Lafayette Avenue and she said she tries to avoid the heavy traffic.
“You have to just be totally alert, you know. I try to stay on the line,” Somers said.
The overall project is expected to be federally funded by the Indiana Department of Transportation and will cost around $6 million. 80% of the project will be paid by the federal money and 20% will be paid by the City of Terre Haute.
But in order to get the federal funding, another project must first take place.
“For the project we approved a railroad agreement with Indiana Railroad to reconstruct the crossing to make it safer as well. It’ll have new cross arms, a pedestrian crossing on each side, and a widened crossing.
The half million dollar railroad project is expected to begin in April 2020 to kick off the full construction. All upgrades are expected to be complete by the end of 2021.
However, the thought of construction leaves small business owners concerned.
“With a lengthy project like that, I’m concerned as far as how that’s going to affect my business and my income,” Wright said.
On Monday, the Terre Haute Board of Public Works and Safety approved the the railroad agreement to upgrade the crossing.
The full project is expected to go to bid in November.
