FISHERS — The city of Fishers is delaying a traffic flow improvement project at the intersection of State Route 37 and 141st Street. This comes after discovering the project is estimated to cost more than expected due to current market conditions.
"We're very disappointed because we really believe in the project. We see the need for it," Fishers spokesperson Ashley Elrod said.
For years, the city in partnership with the state and county has been eliminating lights on SR 37 one intersection at a time. The project at 126th Street is already complete. Projects at 146th, 131st, and 135th streets should all be finished by next year. But the light at 141st Street will remain.
"Unfortunately, the bids we did receive came back almost double what our engineers estimated, even with considering inflation," Elrod said.
The city's engineers estimated the project would cost $26.6 million, even considering today's current record-high inflation. When bids came in at $33 million, $34 million and a whopping $49.4 million, the city decided to wait until the markets stabilize.
"At the end of the day, it's our job to make sure we're spending taxpayer dollars effectively and efficiently," Elrod said.
Jason Sloderbeck is the co-owner of The Bombshell Hair Co, which is located on SR 37 between 141st and 146th. He said the delay may end up being good for business.
"I'm not upset about it at all," Sloderbeck said. "I was concerned with the fact that they were going to cut the south traffic to get to the businesses on the east side of 37, it would've made it impossible for people to get here. Since they're pausing the project, I think it's good for the businesses here along 141st street."
Noblesville resident Cheryl Oyedele drives SR 37 nearly every day. She isn't too bothered by the delay.
"I think that after it's all done, it'll be a lot better, but for right now, we'll just have to deal with the discomfort of it," Oyedele said.
The city is emphasizing that this is not a stop, just a pause.
"The end goal is to complete the full corridor and get those construction barrels off of the road as quickly as possible," Elrod said.
For more information about the SR37 project, including lane restrictions and detours, visit the 37 Thrives website.
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