By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
The City of Decatur announced Tuesday that the Five Points intersection will be closed to traffic on Tuesday, Sept. 17, for utility replacement and relocation.
The work is, of course, leading up to next year’s conversion of the intersection into a roundabout.
The closing is expected to last approximately three weeks, weather permitting, city Operations Manager Jeremy Gilbert said.
The marked detour will be as follows:
Mercer Ave. to Rugg St., then to First St.
Mercer Ave. to Grant St. to Line St. to Adams St. to Seventh St. to Monroe Street.
Gilbert told city council at its recent meeting that the area is expected to be reopened in time for the Callithumpian Parade.
Among the upcoming work will be preparations for demolishing the convenience store/gas station on the site.
The contract for the Five Points project has been signed by all parties and was made a matter of record at an earlier meeting of city council.
The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), which is in charge of the project which uses, in the main, federal monies, awarded the contract to E&B Paving, which had the low bid of $2,493,109.
The E&B bid was under the engineer’s estimate for the project so Decatur’s share of the cost is under what it has budgeted.
Federal funding will cover 80% of the total cost. Decatur’s 20% match will amount to $498,621.80 – which is less than the amount the city budgeted for its share.
The main portion of the project won’t begin until sometime next year.
The project has been in the works for some seven years.
The roundabout will be the first one in Decatur and Adams County.
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