45/46 bypass expands, encroaches on greek property

The ongoing State Road 45/46 Bypass road construction is not only affecting traffic in Bloomington. It’s also expanding into the backyards of several greek houses on the Jordan Avenue extension.

The construction project began in June after the Indiana Department of Transportation awarded $21 million to widen approximately two miles of the Bloomington Bypass.

According the City of Bloomington website, the Bypass will increase to seven lanes in some places, resulting in the removal of some 500 trees.

Junior Bill Kennedy, president of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, said construction markers come within eight feet of the fraternity’s back deck.

Kennedy said the construction has impacted them most obviously because of how many trees have been cut down, changing the scenery and making 45/46 traffic noisier.

“It came as a big surprise to us when we came back this summer and actually saw all the trees torn down and our privacy taken away,” Kennedy said.

He said the fraternity was notified of the construction but did not expect its effects to be so drastic.

“We’re just hoping they build something between the road and our house to keep us as safe as possible because if there are high speeds, there is that possibility of danger present,” Kennedy said.

Marvin Jenkins, Indiana Department of Transportation’s Seymour District public information director, said much of the disruption is temporary. The construction markers represent where the limited access right of way line will be and the sides of the pavement will be, which will come within 19 feet of the north corner of the Pi Kappa Phi house.

“The right of way won’t even be noticeable,” Jenkins said. “That just shows what we’re responsible to maintain as opposed to the property owner.”

Junior Rosalie DeLarme, president of Alpha Delta Pi sorority, said they have always been one of the closest houses to the road and have not been affected much by the construction.

“Because of the way our lot is shaped, we were lucky enough to retain the wooded area on our property,” DeLarme said. “There is the occasional noise from the construction, but that is to be expected and is not too bad.”

Sophomore Sam Chortek, president of Zeta Beta Tau fraternity, said the construction has impacted them greatly.

He said before the construction, they had about 100 yards between the house and the Bypass, with a heavily wooded area that gave them privacy and deflected a lot of the noise.

“We came back to school this year and every single tree had been cut down except for three, with about 15 yards or so separating our basketball court from where they had marked land for the construction of the road,” Chortek said.

Chortek said the fraternity has improvised and installed 15-foot tarps across posts behind the house.

“Our expansive beautiful backyard is now a sore to look at and gives us absolutely no protection from the highway,” Chortek said.