Another roundabout could be in Carmel’s future
CARMEL, Ind. (WISH) – The City of Carmel spent a lot of money to improve the flow of traffic on Keystone Parkway. Now, it could spend more.
Mayor Jim Brainard has never given up on the dream of one more roundabout at 96th Street and Keystone Avenue. That would eliminate the last big bottleneck on the parkway through the city.
Carmel has asked the federal Department of Transportation for a federal grant to help pay for the construction.
“It’s very competitive,” Brainard told 24-Hour News 8. “Three out of a hundred projects are approved by the federal government.” The grant would cover $15 million of a project that could cost a total of $30 to $35 million. After that, “we’d have to mix that with our local funds to get the project done.”
The final price will be influenced by the design of the project. “We’re continuing to refine our plans,” Brainard said.
Over the years, talk of construction at that intersection upset business owners in the area. The Mayor said, now most of the business owners in the area support the concept.
He said the city understands their concerns and would work to reduce the difficulties. But he predicted the congestion at 96th Street and Keystone Avenue will only get worse.
He is hopeful that this construction will fix that problem.
Nothing will happen for a while, though. The work would probably not begin until the summer of 2017, at the earliest.