Workers are currently upgrading the road where the U.S. 31 interchange will be. This project includes reconstruction and expansion of the roadway, installation of new utility lines, curbs, gutters, storm sewers and sidewalks. The roundabouts at Illinois and Old Meridian along Main Street will also be expanded to accommodate two lanes of traffic. The road should be up and running by November, according to Eric Seidensticker, president of the Carmel City Council.

“Right now, the road dead ends. It stops at Meridian Street on 31, so what’s happening is the state is upgrading US 31 and in the process they are putting a roundabout in, and people will be able to exit from Meridian to get down into Carmel. They’re upgrading the roads, putting in sidewalks, and that sort of stuff,” Seidensticker said.

Haley Glickman, junior, drives to school every day; she said the construction has affected her drive to school.

“Meridian is closed down, and that’s right next to my house, and I used to take that to go to the high school. But that’s a construction mess, so I’ve had to go through Clay Terrace which is kind of out of the way for me, and it’s just a pain,” she said.

Currently, the street does not go through, which is why the timing is right for the road upgrades to take place.

Seidensticker said, “Keep in mind right now (Main Street) does not go through. It did, a long time ago, when I was in school here, it did go through, but because it’s right on a curve, they shut it down because it was dangerous. Now, because they’re putting in an interchange in, a roundabout, there’ll be an exit off of 31. So to do the improvements, the upgrades, now’s the best time because we’re not going to impact much because the interchange doesn’t exist. It will, as soon as they get the roundabouts up and running,” Seidensticker said.

Once finished, the new intersection and upgraded roads will make it much more convenient for those driving to school, especially those living on the west side of Carmel.  It will function much like any of the other interchanges on Keystone, such as on 126^th Street, except 31 will go up and over and the roundabout will be underneath.  Drivers will then be able to exit on Meridian to get onto Main Street, which is where the road upgrades are taking place. Seidensticker said it will make getting to things at Old Meridian and Main Street easier because people won’t have to get on Old Meridian and drive up; instead, they’ll be able to get off at the roundabout.

Glickman said, “I think it’s going to be worth it. They have been needing to do that intersection; it’s been horrible and very dangerous. I think it’s going to be beneficial, safer, and easier.”

Although it will make the route to school easier, Seidensticker said it will not do much for the congestion around the school.

“One of the nice things about having so many crossroads north and south, east and west, is that it makes it a lot easier. For example, someone who lives on Main Street out on the west side, they would have to go up to 136^th Street and the roundabout near the hospital. If they’re students, they have to drive all the way to over by the stadium, whereas with Main Street, once it gets open, they’ll be able to cut across there instead. It cuts down a little bit of the congestion around the east-west streets and all the different roadways to get to the high school. The congestion around the school will be the same, but getting to the school I think will make things easier for people by-and-large,” Seidensticker said.

Although there are no new closings from the road upgrades on Main Street, there are still many work sites and road blocks from the entire U.S. 31 project, which should be completely done by 2015.

“What really affects school are the multiple closures on 31 because Main Street never went through. But 136^th affects, 116^th affects, so there are several other closures that do impact people driving to school: kids, teachers, moms and dads, bus drivers, certainly all those other interchanges because they keep on changing them up,” Seidensticker said. “Sometimes it’s easier to navigate; sometimes it’s more difficult,” he said.

Glickman said, “You just have to schedule it in your time when you’re getting ready in the morning, it’s like when there’s frost on your car and you have to schedule that in, you just have to leave earlier. People will deal; I will.”