Crews from Milestone Contractors have been working seven days a week — and, at times, past daylight hours — on the estimated $35 million project that is being jointly funded by the Indiana Department of Transportation, City of Columbus, Bartholomew County, Cummins Inc. and the Louisville and CSX Railroads.
A project nearly four years in the making is now a reality after city, state and railroad officials broke ground on November 4, 2019 for an estimated $35 million railroad overpass on Columbus’ west side.
The public is invited to the groundbreaking ceremony for the State Road 46 Railroad Overpass Project. The ceremony will be held on Monday, November 4, 2019 at 4:00 pm near the former Kokolene site on the north side of SR 46, just west of SR 11.
More than 50 people attended a public hearing Wednesday night at Columbus City Hall to learn more details about the $30 million overpass project. If this winter is mild enough to allow for construction, the overpass could be open by Nov. 15, 2020.
The hearing will be at 6:00 p.m. May 29 in the Cal Brand Meeting Room at Columbus City Hall. Comments are being sought about the environmental documents and materials about the proposed new $30 million interchange that will allow motorists to avoid being slowed or stopped because of increasing railroad traffic projected to occur later this year.
L&I Railroad has informed the City that traffic will average 13 trains per day moving through the city daily in 2019, increasing to 19 trains on average in 2020.
The City of Columbus announces the launch of a web-based train status page that will allow residents to determine if a train is approaching the intersection of Indiana 11 and SR 46. The technology behind the page was designed by Isaiah Bowman, a senior at Purdue Polytechnic Columbus who is completing his Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Technology.
On November 5, Mayor Jim Lienhoop, Mrs. Pam Lienhoop and David Hayward, Executive Director of Public Works and City Engineer, joined officials from the Louisville & Indiana Railroad, CSX Railroad and other state and local officials to celebrate the ribbon cutting on the new Noblitt Park railroad bridge, which replaced a bridge that had spanned the Flat Rock River for over 100 years.
Louisville & Indiana Railroad officials have notified the city that longer, heavier and faster CSX trains will begin traveling through Columbus on L&I’s rail system beginning Nov. 3.
The City of Columbus was presented the Accelerate Indiana Municipalities (Aim) Local Government Collaboration Award at the Aim Ideas Summit Annual Awards Luncheon, held on October 3, 2018 in French Lick.
