JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (WDRB) — For years, residents along Charlestown Pike have navigated detours, narrowed lanes and road blockades as crews widened one of Jeffersonville’s busiest corridors.
City leaders say the long-running project is now nearing the finish line, with work expected to wrap up within a month after some delays.
"It’s a big headache," said Trinette Overstreet, who lives in the Red Tail Ridge subdivision off Charlestown Pike.
Overstreet said the construction has routinely forced her to drive extra miles to get to work and made it difficult for residents to get in and out of the neighborhood.
The widening project began three years ago and has added sidewalks, curbs and gutters along the route. The nearly $30 million effort is designed to handle growth in the area, driven in part by development near the River Ridge Commerce Center.
City officials said developers first pushed for the road to be widened more than a decade ago, making the improvement a condition for building additional homes nearby. Now, the city says the construction is entering its final stretch, offering relief to residents and to the roughly 15,000 vehicles that travel the road each day.
Dana Barnett, a nearby resident, said the changing traffic patterns and detours have been frustrating.
"We have to go to the end, then make a right-hand turn," Barnett said. "Then we have to go through subdivisions and whip around — that’s a mess."
Still, some residents said the disruption was unavoidable if the city wanted to keep growing.
"Everybody wants it done, nobody wants to get in the middle of it where the detours are," said Jefferson Mayor Mike Moore. "But to ignore it and not do it — the city would stop growing, the city would start dying."
On Wednesday, a line of construction vehicles moved down the corridor as crews poured one of the final concrete sections.
The three-phase project has included work near Holman’s Lane, Utica-Sellersburg Road and Salem-Noble Road, affecting more than 2,000 homes, residents said.
Even those eager to see the road reopen fully said they’ve tried to keep the inconvenience in perspective.
"You might use a few cuss words every now and then," Dana said. "But other than that, no, I can deal with it. I know it’s not going to last forever."
Overstreet was less patient, laughing as she summed up the mood many neighbors share: "I am over it. Get it done, already."
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