Speedway to Begin Construction on ‘Gateway’
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowCommunity leaders will join Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials this morning to break ground on a $15 million roundabout project in the town of Speedway. It is expected to be complete in November and is being billed as a “gateway” to the historic venue. July 28, 2014
News Release
SPEEDWAY, Ind. – The Main Street roundabout project is the next step in the multimillion-dollar redevelopment of Speedway's Main Street and Speed Zone area. At the gateway of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Town of Speedway and the Speedway Redevelopment Commission will begin construction on the Main Street roundabout to connect 16th Street and Crawfordsville Road with Main Street.
WHEN: Monday, July 28, at 10 a.m.
WHO: Community leaders, Town of Speedway and the Speedway Redevelopment Commission
List of attendees include:
Gary Raikes, Speedway Town Council President
Scott Harris, SRC Executive Director
Doug Boles, IMS President
Karlee Macer, State Representative
Mike Young, State Senator
WHAT: Gather to break ground, celebrating construction of the Main Street roundabout at the
intersection of Main Street, 16th Street and Crawfordsville Road.
Fact Sheet Provided by Speedway Redevelopment Comission:
SPEEDWAY, Ind. – The Town of Speedway, the Speedway Redevelopment Commission and the Indiana Department of Transportation are constructing a roundabout to improve traffic flow and safety at the Main Street, 16th Street and Crawfordsville Road intersection.
Over the last eight years, the SRC, the City of Indianapolis, the State of Indiana and the Federal Highways Administration conducted multiple studies on the intersection. Studies conducted include a regional transportation study, a traffic impact study and an environmental assessment study.
The current Main Street, 16th Street and Crawfordsville Road intersection is rated an “F” for safety, the most dangerous rating of intersections. In 2012, 49 accidents were reported at the intersection, more than 63 percent of all reported accidents for the year in Speedway. During the next 20 years, the number of vehicles traveling through the intersection is expected to increase with new development in Speedway and in the suburbs to the west, leading to overcrowding at an already congested intersection.
As a result, the Commission plans to replace the existing stoplight-controlled intersection with a two-lane roundabout. The new roundabout will result in fewer vehicle stops and accidents, fewer delays during peak flowtravel times, and reduced air and noise pollution. A sidewalk will be constructed as a part of the roundabout project to encourage pedestrian safety in the area.
Speedway police are prepared to monitor neighborhoods affected by construction and road closures to ensure proper detour usage and work-zone safety.
About Roundabouts
A roundabout is a circular intersection through which vehicles travel counterclockwise around a center island. Traffic entering a roundabout slows to between 15 and 20 miles per hour and yields the right of way to circulating vehicles. This allows for smoother traffic flow and fewer delays. Bicyclists can also navigate easily through a roundabout, and sidewalks are installed on the perimeter for pedestrians.
In parts of the country where intersections have been converted to roundabouts, positive impacts have been observed. Motor vehicle crashes have been reduced by approximately 40 percent, and injury crashes have declined by 80 percent, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The circular design of roundabouts helps to reduce right-angle, left-turn and high-speed, head-on collisions that are common at four-way and two-way intersections.
As vehicles approach roundabouts, motorists must reduce their speed, so serious and minor accidents occur less often. For pedestrians, sidewalks along the perimeter of the roadway and shorter crossing distances also increase safety.
Source: The Town of Speedway, The Speedway Redevelopment Comission