Highway 150 near Greenville to close for 5 days

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A bridge project on U.S. 150 in southern Indiana is in the final stages but it will mean closing a busy highway for five days.

The Indiana Department of Transportation is working to finish a bridge rehabilitation project over Jersey Park Creek in Floyd County near Greenville.

The plan calls for shutting down more than two miles of U.S. 150 east of S.R. 335 on Monday, Aug. 7, for a bridge deck overlay project. The bridge is scheduled to reopen by the end of the day Friday, Aug. 11.

"This is a shorter-term closure, luckily," said Natalie Garrett, INDOT's strategic communications director. "We're asking people to be patient with us as this is completed."

During the closure, traffic will be detoured from Interstate 64 to S.R. 64 into New Salisbury and then S.R. 135 to U.S. 150 in Palmyra.

"INDOT is required to use state routes for the official detour, understanding that people may find a shorter route on local roadways," Garrett said.

Local roadways are proving to be much quicker detours when the closure comes. WDRB News found that Clover Creek Drive to Old Vincennes Road, then Buttontown Road to U.S. 150 would save drivers more time.

However, after seeing this story air, Floyd County Director of Operations and Planning, Don Lopp, reached out to WDRB News and asked that this statement be included in the story:

The Floyd County Board of Commissioners strongly urge commuters using US 150 to use the prescribed INDOT detour route for the pending US 150 closure. With over 12,000 daily commuters traveling US 150 in the Greenville vicinity, the safest and best course of action is for commuters to use the prescribed INDOT route for the seven-day period.

An unofficial route identified through the reporting of a local TV station is not considered a safe alternative for commuting traffic. The reported route goes through Clover Creek residential neighborhood and proceeds along Old Vincennes and Buttontown Road. The Board of County Commissioners strongly urge that this route or other routes using local County roads not to be used or if used sparingly by local residents only. If commuters do use this route, commuters need to use extreme caution and travel at posted speeds.

Commuters should be aware with the start of school; there are numerous student pick-up and drop-offs during the day on each of these roads. Additionally, these roads are not designed to handle heavy truck and commercial traffic. Semi-tractor traffic and heavy commercial vehicles should use the prescribed INDOT route.

"It's going to be inconvenient, because everybody is going to be trying to get through these backroads," said Micheal Cummings, who lives in Greenville.

Cummings is worried about the traffic stemming from the closure, especially during the first full week of school for Floyd county. He also said that semi trucks won't be able to take the quicker detours.

"I think it's crazy because I don't see how they're going to get these semis around down here," he said. "These back country roads aren't made for semis."

Officials recommend larger vehicles take the INDOT suggested detour from 64, to S.R. 64 and S.R. 135.

While INDOT asks for patience, local residents are concerned that next week will bring irritation.

"It's going to be a pain in the butt for a lot of people," Cummings said.

INDOT said the deck overlay project is done every 20 years or so.