Bloomington prepares for game day traffic near new hospital

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) – Plans to build a new hospital and academic health center at Indiana University have raised concerns about traffic on Hoosier football and basketball game days.

Efforts to smooth transportation in the area have included widening a bypass and designating one lane in each direction for game traffic. Tom Morrison, director of Bloomington’s planning and transportation department, says the city is well positioned for capacity after the bypass recently was expanded from two lanes to four lanes.

He tells The (Bloomington) Herald Times that there’s more traffic obstruction around the hospital’s current location during rush hour than there will be near the new site on game days.

A hospital spokeswoman says construction will begin in about a year and will take up to five years to complete.