U.S. 31 work to begin on Tuesday

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September 2, 2010

Traffic will be diverted while road work is under way in Miami County

By K.O. Jackson Tribune staff writer The Kokomo Tribune Thu Sep 02, 2010, 08:30 AM EDT

Kokomo — Heavy-duty equipment is in place along Business 31 in Miami County, but it won’t be used until Tuesday.

According to the project’s supervisor, starting Tuesday, Business 31 will be closed for a maximum of 110 days from U.S. 31 to Airport Road.

This week, there has been a “soft closure” on Business 31, with the contractor mobilizing equipment and putting materials in place, but no work has been performed on the road that links area businesses.

Alex Janeczek, project supervisor for Miami County, said the road closure is due to the Business 31 $1.8 million reconstruction project.

“Mostly, it’s road reconstruction, but there will be some underground work done as well,” said Janeczek, adding money from the project is coming from federal funds. Additionally, the Indiana Department of Transportation is overseeing the project and the Miami County Highway Department has no control over the work.

Although equipment is in place, Janeczek said work wouldn’t begin until after the Labor Day weekend because “we are working on a maximum closure of 110 days. We didn’t want the clock to start ticking now and we wanted to wait until after the holidays to start.

“We are ready to get out there and get started. There is an aggressive schedule to complete this before winter. If it’s not done by winter, we have to reopen the road. We can’t keep it closed. The deadline to have it all completed is July next year, but that would be very expensive, so we want to have it completed before winter.

During the ongoing construction, Janeczek said access for local traffic on Business 31 “may be rough at times.” Traffic will be detoured, allowing drivers to take Airport Road from U.S. 31 to Business 31 to avoid the closure.

Janeczek added residences, churches, and businesses located on Business 31 within the construction site will still be accessible via Business 31.

Furthermore, postal and school-bus service will also be able to access properties on Business 31 during the reconstruction project.

• K.O. Jackson can be reached at 765-854-6739 or via e-mail kirven.jackson@kokomotribune.com

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