Starting on April 4, the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) will close U.S. 31 between Old Meridian Street and 136th Street due to construction.

Ron Farrand, director of facilities and transportation for the Carmel Clay schools district, said, “The project from the northern limit straight down south runs right through our school district, so we’ll all definitely encounter some type of construction going on.”

There will be signs directing drivers to detours, Farrand said after the construction begins, and the detours include Illinois Street—east of U.S. 31—and Pennsylvania Street—west of U.S. 31.

According to the official website for the U.S. 31 closure us31hamiltoncounty.in.gov, another detour is Keystone Parkway, which will serve as the official detour route, while Pennsylvania Street and Illinois Street will serve as alternate routes for local access.

Benefits of Construction

With an average of 51,000 cars traveling on U.S. 31 daily, there is bound to be a reason to create this temporary hindrance that will make it difficult for those 51,000 cars to get to their destination.

The main benefit of the construction, according to Farrand, is having no more stoplights on U.S. 31.

Farrand said, “You’ll be able to go from one end (of U.S. 31) to the other without having to stop. You’ll be able to cross over U.S. 31 without being stopped by a stop light, you’ll be able to go up and down (U.S.) 31 without a stoplight, so it’ll just make traffic flow a lot, lot better.”

Bridges and crossovers will replace stoplights, according to Farrand, which will ease the often-congested traffic.

Senior Jessica Chiang said although the construction itself is a bit of a nuisance, she does approve of the no-stoplights idea.

“I think that the whole no stoplights idea is really ideal for becoming more green as a city,” said Chiang. “In the long run, it’ll be beneficial because at first, I was like ‘Oh, roundabouts are the most terrible things ever; they’re going to take up so much construction time.’ But now, not having to stop at every intersection is really nice, so I guess after a few years of dealing with the construction, now it’ll be a lot more comfortable.”

Effect on Students

Senior Jessica Chiang drives to school, volunteers at St. Vincent Carmel Hospital and works in Clay Terrace, all of which require her to first cross U.S. 31. However, with the closing of a large section of it, Chiang said it is quite an inconvenience.

Chiang said, “It’ll definitely be a difficulty because I have a job that I have to get to through that route, and I volunteer at a hospital where I also have to cross U.S. 31. It’s just definitely a lot of places where I usually go that makes it difficult for me to maneuver around those closings.”

Although the construction will clearly be an inconvenience to student drivers, Farrand said they can adapt to it by finding alternative routes.

“(Students) will just have to learn the ways to get around it. I mean, there’ll be posted detour routes. They can find their way by going to a different crossover point or use Illinois (Street) or Pennsylvania (Street) or different streets to get around the blockage,” said Farrand. “Even though it’s going to be a big mess the first couple of weeks for everybody, it pretty much settles out because everybody figures it out.”

The increase in inconvenience for students who drive to school could lead to an increase in the number of students who will chose to take the bus, according to junior Ruth Xing, whose bus route may be affected by the construction on U.S. 31.

Xing said, “A lot of students might end up taking the bus because then, their parents won’t have to worry about which route to take or being held up in traffic, or if they drive themselves, then they can go to school faster on the bus without having to worry about being hall-swept or late.”