College Mall Road clogged with students

Students returning for the fall semester have clogged up city streets.\nThe problem is particularly pronounced on College Mall Road, where the city is conducting a massive construction project slated to take 18 months. \n"We've definitely seen an increase in traffic," said Max Marsh, a resident of Windermere Woods, which lies on the west side of the much-used street. "It's posed a problem."\nSince mid-June, local contractors have been working on the $5.6 million construction project. It will widen College Mall Road to two lanes in each direction from north of Second Street to north of Moore's Pike, an improvement that city officials and business owners say is needed to ease traffic congestion.\nThe street redesign also calls for the addition of sidewalks, bicycle paths, a traffic signal at Buick Cadillac Boulevard and a widening of bridges at Buick Cadillac Boulevard and Covenanter Drive. Bloomington-based Weddle Brothers Construction is handling the project, which is scheduled for completion in December 2002. \nThe city is encouraging use of alternate routes to access College Mall Road, such as Clarizz Boulevard. City Project Inspector Sam Dean asked drivers to proceed slowly and with caution.\n"There haven't been any accidents that I'm aware of," he said. "But the workers on the site have told me of some really close calls. Some people drive too close for comfort.\n"I want to stress that people should please show the workers some respect."\nDean said the work is on schedule. And area merchants have no complaints about the project.\n"Weddle Brothers is a local company," said Vickie Temple, owner and manager of Bloomington Hardware. "They're the same people we see in the grocery store and at the ballfields. They've treated us like neighbors because they are our neighbors."\nWeddle and city officials have met with the business owners monthly to keep them updated on the project. Merchants say they appreciate the level of involvement they've had in the process.\n"It's always challenging to deal with street construction," said Danise Olana, marketing director of the Monroe County Bank, which has a College Mall location. "But Weddle Brothers has been great -- they've done everything they can to accommodate us. \n"And we always know what's going on."\nAt an informational meeting before the onset of the construction project, Weddle on-site superintendent Mark Nethery promised merchants that he'd keep their businesses open. But the project has rankled some residents, who are mostly concerned with the noise.\nIndianapolis-based contractor R. H. Marlin, Inc. is now installing a sanitary sewer main underneath the road. To take advantage of decreased usage of sewer and water lines, the subcontracted utilities company starts work as early as 1 a.m.\n"We can live with the noise," said Marsh, who serves as chairman of the Windermere's liaison with the city's engineering department. "But it's the complaint I've heard most often from my neighbors." \nFor more information and regular updates, visit \nhttp://www.city.bloomington.in.us.