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Tuesday, March 19
The Indiana Daily Student

bloomington

City uses new measures to stop traffic problems

News-filler

To reduce traffic congestion, the City of Bloomington and the Bloomington Police Department will be trying out new ways to maximize efficiency and help people finish their commute along West Third Street faster.

The Indiana Department of Transportation is set to finish the I-69 interchange this summer, but until then, the construction schedule for the West Third Street overpass has reassigned the traffic to just two eastbound lanes and one westbound lane. Bloomington, along with INDOT, is working to reduce the effect the increased construction has on traffic and travel times. 

According to a city press release, as of Tuesday the city will be implementing its plan on a trial basis until May 25.

BPD officers will be stationed along four West Third Street intersections from 3:45 p.m. until the busiest part of the day is over. Police will be located at Franklin Drive, two points on the bridge overlooking the interstate, Gates Drive and Liberty Drive. Some traffic signals will also be calibrated manually based on traffic flow.

“We’re responding as nimbly as possible to this summer’s unique traffic challenges,” Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton said in the release. “We’re gathering drone footage, sending out text alerts, putting additional officers on the street and forging some good partnerships to accelerate the projects we can and reduce the inconvenience of these infrastructure improvements.”

The interchange at Tapp Road and the West Second Street interchange will both be finished later this summer and will help ease congestion.

Actions the City is taking to reduce road congestion:

  • City and County have invested up to $30,000 each to accelerate the Country Club Bridge project so overlap with other projects is minimized.
  • City’s Planning and Transportation Department has voluntarily delayed the intersection improvement project and sidepath construction at Henderson and Winslow.
  • City is offering a text alert feature providing in-the-moment notifications and weekly forecasts.
  • City will be using drones to gather data on traffic patterns and implement necessary changes.
  • County is providing a weekly traffic and construction project update in public meetings and on social and print media and will launch a platform for residents to receive updates on the status of county projects.
  • Modification of traffic signals at selected intersections is being explored to facilitate flow.
  • Traffic updates will be posted at the city-dedicated site (Inroads), as well as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
  • MCCSC is consolidating the summer school schedule to reduce traffic.
  • City is partnering with IU to launch a bikeshare program.
  • City and County will evaluate retaining temporary signaling at South Rogers Street and West Gordon Pike during duration of Tapp/Rockport intersection improvement.  
  • City and County will hold regular joint meetings throughout the construction season to coordinate efforts with MCCSC Transportation, emergency services and Bloomington Transit.

Bloomignton tips to effectively commute:

  • Text “roads” to 812-558-5987 to receive traffic alerts from the city.
  • Consult https://bloomington.in.gov/inroads/events before you head out.
  • Follow the "Bloomington, IN Roads" group on Facebook.
  • Follow @btownroads on Twitter.
  • Watch traffic footage collected by City drone at the City’s YouTube channel.
  • Consider walking or biking to work or for errands, using your bike or the bike share program.
  • Start or join a carpool.
  • Explore the possibilities of telecommuting and flex scheduling at your place of work.
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