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Funds unlikely to cover all damage from U.S. 36 detour
MORTON — After several weeks of closure, U.S. 36 reopened in the Union Chapel area in western Putnam County on Wednesday.
Since closing the road on July 22, crews have replaced a small bridge structure immediately west of Union Chapel with a double box culvert.
The reopening represents a break for those who use the road often, including local traffic, commuters and weekend travelers to and from Raccoon Lake each weekend.
It also means INDOT avoided the worst-case scenario of having the road closed in October during the Covered Bridge Festival in Parke County.
While the official detour followed State Road 59, State Road 236 and U.S. 231, it was the unofficial local detour (ULD) that had been giving Putnam County officials heartburn for several months since it was announced.
The ULD route — County Road 600 West south to County Road 600 North then back north on County Road 775 West — involved gravel on 600 North as well as culverts not rated for tractor-trailers and other heavy trucks.
While the county signed a road use agreement back in April, the Putnam County Commissioners did so begrudgingly, knowing the deal was essentially a take-it-or-leave-it matter with the state.
On Wednesday, Commissioners David Berry and Tom Helmer, along with County Engineer Jim Peck and Highway Director Clint Maddox met with INDOT officials to inspect the roadways following the closure.
Berry told the Banner Graphic it’s now a matter of negotiating with INDOT regarding damage to the roads, which were built to handle neither the commercial trucks that passed over them nor the boat and camper traffic of Raccoon Lake.
“We’re going to have to meet in the middle,” Berry said of the negotiations with the state.
The process will involve the county fixing the roads and culverts then submitting bills to the state.
What will not be addressed is the truly unofficial detour many motorists adopted during the closure, opting to bypass the roads of the ULD in favor of trekking further south through Clinton Falls, including crossing Edna Collings Bridge.
This resulted in damage to the historic covered bridge, with overweight trucks crossing the 102-year-old structure. Some of these crossings happened even after the county placed jumbo concrete barricade blocks that forced motorists to zig-zag in a pattern too tight for dump trucks and semis.
On more than one occasion, the barricades were found to have been moved, with local farmer Ray Poynter Jr. moving them back into place.
What’s also not clear is what compensation, if any, local property owners will receive for the damage done to their property by motorists leaving the roadway and the extra dust from the added traffic during what has largely been a dry period locally.
One resident reported having their air conditioner clog up from the dust, while Poynter told the Banner Graphic he had crop damage from the dust.
Commissioner Rick Woodall also noted that the roads have effectively been widened due to motorists driving off the edge of the established roadway.
On the heels of discussions about these problems, Peck on Monday introduced talk of three other ULDs.
One of these is at the agreement stage, involving County Road 900 East at the Hendricks County line east of Barnard for a bridge replacement expected to last into October.
“So they’re shutting down 236 during the harvest?” Woodall asked.
Also on 236, INDOT has plans to replace a culvert between 600 West and 650 West, with a proposed detour that would route motorists north into Montgomery County and then back through Russellville.
However, this route is made problematic by the fact that Harrison Street — the main north-south route through the town — is currently closed due to a partially collapsed building.
Finally, Peck noted that he recently completed the inspection of a ULD in southeastern Putnam County on County Roads 1050 South and 850 East following a closure for construction in Morgan County.
Peck said he found no damage to the roads from that closure.
The engineer also reported that Milestone Contractors was progressing on its Community Crossings work in the northern part of the county, with work on 1000 North commencing last week and continuing into Tuesday.
In-house paving work has slowed because the county uses the same asphalt mill as Milestone, but Maddox said he expected work to resume on Wednesday on 1200 North with work at Heritage Lake to come next.
In other business, the commissioners:
• Balked at a $13,000 price on replacing carpet in the Adult Probation suite of offices.
As much as the price itself, the commissioners had questions about the process. Berry asked if the existing carpet could be cleaned, while Woodall wanted an additional bid that was more specific than the one submitted.
Assistant Chief Probation Officer Garret Nichols noted that the carpet is 25 years old and has an odor
“I’m OK with replacing the carpet,” Woodall said. “I understand what Dave says, but if it’s 25 years old it’s had a good life.”
Nichols agreed to get another bid.
• Heard from Woodall that he recently traveled to the Indiana State Fair for the county’s nine covered bridges to be honored with their addition to the National Register of Historic Places. He was joined for the event by Phil Gick, who is both a county councilman and an officer of the Heritage Preservation Society of Putnam County, as well as Heritage Preservation Society member Suzanne Leak.
The distinction could make the county eligible for additional funds for maintaining the bridges.
• Decided to pass on the chance to move the Putnam County Health Department to the old Feld’s Carpet One building.
“There’s too much work that would need to be done on that building, and we’d still end up with a 60-year-old building,” Berry said.
What comes next is unclear, as Putnam County Hospital CEO Dennis Weatherford has said he would like to keep the health department housed at the hospital. However, there is also the possibility of the department being housed at the new Putnam County Annex once it is built.
The next meeting of the Putnam County Commissioners will be at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 3. The meeting is on Tuesday due to the Labor Day holiday.