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Frequently Asked Questions

U.S. 36 Added Travel Lanes - Sections

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

1). I received a Notice of Survey in the mail. What is this?

2). What is the timeframe for the project?

3). I hear there is roadwork planned along US 36 / Rockville Road for later this year (2005). Is that part of this project?

4). I live / work along Rockville Road. How will this project impact my property / place of work?

5). What is the Purpose and Need for the project? / How is it developed?

6). What is access management?

7). My property along Rockville Road experiences drainage problems. Will the new design try to alleviate some of these issues?

8). How can I be involved with this project?

9). How do we know the addition of travel lanes will permanently fix the problem (safety and traffic conditions)?

10). Why aren’t additional lanes being added to 10th Street rather than US 36?

11). What kind of coordination occurs between the state and the county when projects are being planned?

12). What, specifically, is planned for US 36? Will the design include sidewalks / access roads / raised medians / bus routes / access roads additional stoplights?

13). How do you go about studying environmental impacts associated with the project?

14). What’s going on with Ronald Reagan Parkway?

 

Answers
1). I received a Notice of Survey in the mail. What is this?
1) The Notice of Survey was sent to you as a courtesy notification that field work will be conducted in your area. The intent of the fieldwork is to identify and map known environmental resources in the project area. All necessary investigations will be conducted from the public right-of-way where possible. It may be necessary for our staff to enter your property for a specific purpose such as to identify a wetland resource. This is permitted by law under Indiana Code IC 8-23-7-26. All field staff will be wearing orange vests and have been instructed to identify themselves to you. (Top of Page)

2). What is the timeframe for the project?
2) Construction is a long way off. We are currently working on the Environmental Assessment for this project to define anticipated environmental impacts. This stage alone could take up to two years. It could be as many as 10 years before the road is built. (Top of Page)

3). I hear there is roadwork planned along US 36 / Rockville Road for later this year (2005). Is that part of this project?
3) No. Rockville Road is scheduled to be resurfaced by the INDOT. The resurfacing will help keep the road in a working condition until the added travel lanes project can be completed.  (Top of Page)

4). I live / work along Rockville Road. How will this project impact my property / place of work?
4) Several potential design alternatives are being developed. Each alternative will be individually evaluated to determine if it would meet the Purpose and Need for the project. If the alternatives do not meet the Purpose and Need for the project, they will be dismissed from further consideration. (Top of Page)

5). What is the Purpose and Need for the project? / How is it developed?
5) The Purpose and Need is being developed for the project as a part of the Engineering Assessment. It will discuss the existing deficiencies along US 36 and identify issues that should be resolved as part of the project. Some common elements of the Purpose and Need include traffic statistics, existing roadway conditions and accident data. (Top of Page)

6). What is access management?
6) Access management is a way to control traffic flow. The goals of access management include the reduction of accidents and congestion, as well as increasing the number of vehicles that can travel on the roadway at a given time. Common access management techniques include the location, spacing and design of driveways and the location and addition of turn lanes, including median treatments. Median treatments can include two-way left turn lanes that allow turns from a central lane and raised medians. Other access management techniques include increasing the amount of space between signals and interchanges, the use of service roads and land use policies that limit right-of-way access to highways. (Top of Page)

7). My property along Rockville Road experiences drainage problems. Will the new design try to alleviate some of these issues?
7) The engineers are aware of the drainage issues in the project area. To assist INDOT in identifying potential issues in the area, if your property experiences drainage problems, please inform the project management team of these locations. This can be done by using the “Public Involvement” link. This information will be taken in to account when the appropriate alternative is selected and the project advances to the design phase. (Top of Page)

8). How can I be involved with this project?
8) The INDOT welcomes all comments regarding any of its projects. You have several options regarding ways to comment on this project.

Attend a public information meeting. These are held periodically and information regarding their timing and location is published both on this website and in the local news media. Public Information Meetings (PIM) allow the INDOT to present information about the project to interested parties. An opportunity for public comment is offered at these meetings.

Speak with your Community Advisory Committee (CAC) representative. The CAC was carefully selected to represent a vast majority of the population in Hendricks and Marion Counties. Please see the CAC portion of this website for more information.

Ask the INDOT. If you wish to comment on the project, or if you have a question you would like to see addressed, please fill out the comment card under the Public Involvement link on this website. Mr. Eric Swickard is the project manager for this project. He will respond to your concerns or will forward your comment to an appropriate team member for a response. He can also be reached via telephone at (317) 234-3534. (Top of Page)

9). How do we know the addition of travel lanes will permanently fix the problem (safety and traffic conditions)?
9) Traffic analyses have been conducted for the project area showing a gradual deterioration in safety and an increase in congestion over time. Existing data concerning population, number of commuters, the apparent rate of population growth, etc. is entered in to a series of computer programs. These computers programs come up with a variety of response, from Level of Service ratings to simulating the corridor for peak hour operations. The simulation programs often graphically animate the corridor during the peak hour. The data is then compiled by the project engineers. Although computer programs and statistical analysis are imperfect methods, predictions can be good indicators of future conditions. Based upon their predicted future conditions, project engineers propose design parameters such as additional travel lanes to satisfy these conditions. (Top of Page)

10). Why aren’t additional lanes being added to 10th Street rather than US 36?
10) One of the primary elements of the Purpose and Need for the project is safety. There is no guarantee the safety hazard issues along US 36 would be fixed by adding lanes to 10th Street. In order to improve traffic safety and flow, it is essential to address the underlying cause for concern. While improving 10th Street might alleviate some of the traffic conditions along US 36, it would not resolve the underlying issues that have led to development of this project. (Top of Page)

11). What kind of coordination occurs between the state and the county when projects are being planned?
11) When the engineer begins writing the Engineering Assessment, one of the things they consider is the compatibility of the project with other construction projects proposed in the area at approximately the same time. In addition, the city of Indianapolis and the Hendricks County Commissioners / Hendricks County Engineer were invited to join the CAC. (Top of Page)

12). What, specifically, is planned for US 36? Will the design include sidewalks / access roads / raised medians / bus routes / access roads additional stoplights?
12) This project does not have a preferred alternative at this point. Therefore, specific design information is not available and general design information is limited. The alternatives being developed vary in scope. This variation is to take all possible solutions into account, prior to selecting the solution that best fits the situation. This variation can even include different project termini. The only constant element of all the potential alternatives is that they address the existing deficiencies along US 36. It is anticipated that design alternatives would be available in late 2005. (Top of Page)

13). How do you go about studying environmental impacts associated with the project?
13) Some of the resources involved with the preparation of an Environmental Assessment are easily identified. For example, a wetland can be delineated per the 1987 Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Manual (Y-87-1). Impacts to Air Quality and Noise Analysis can be predicted using modeling programs.

Community involvement is essential in determining social impacts. The Community Impact Assessment (CIA) asks members of the community to identify resources that are important to the community. As part of the CIA, community members are asked to comment on the impacts to the identified resources as a result of the project.

Other impacts are identified through early coordination with regulatory agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, Indiana Department of Environmental Management and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. For more information regarding early coordination and the NEPA process, please see the Environmental Process section of this website. (Top of Page)

14). What’s going on with Ronald Reagan Parkway?
14) Work is being completed along Ronald Reagan Parkway as part of a separate project under development by the Hendricks County Commissioners. The US 36 project will be designed to tie into Ronald Reagan Parkway to ensure compatibility of the design of each. (Top of Page)