Crews install $1.5 million flood wall gate on Main Street in Clarksville as part of ongoing project

CLARKSVILLE, Ind. (WDRB) -- The town of Clarksville is one step closer to wrapping up its multimillion-dollar Main Street project, but it was no small feat.

Tuesday, crews installed a $1.5 million 54-foot-wide, 16-foot-tall steel flood gate.

Crews widened the flood wall opening on Main Street last week. While it only took crews about 15 minutes to install the gate on Tuesday, it will provided years of safety for residents and businesses.

The gate, which is three feet thick, had to be hoisted up with huge cranes to wedge it like a puzzle piece between two giant slabs of concrete to prevent flooding.

What's unique about the gate is that it was assembled a few miles down the road in New Albany.

"We have to put a little roof structure over it so when the gate is in the open position, it will be rolled back into that garage area that will have a roof and doors on each end to lock it up and keep it safe, keep it out of the weather," project manager Jason Bruce said.

The gate installation is one of the last steps to complete the Main Street Project, which will eventually connect to the Riverside Drive project.

Crews are working to add sidewalks, bike paths, crosswalks, street parking, and lighting along Riverside Drive to improve the Ohio River Greenway that connects Jeffersonville, Clarksville and New Albany.

"The construction that is going to go on there is going to turn into a beautiful area that's going to be sidewalks and bike paths and on-street parking, so this is huge to have this in place," Tammi Gibson, director of Clarksville Economic Development, said.

The construction zone stretches from the entrance of Ashland Park to the Clarksville/Jeffersonville border. It's expected to be accessible again starting in November, with full completion next summer.

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