NEW ALBANY, Ind. (WDRB) -- A portion of Old Vincennes Road is shut down, and New Albany officials have ordered an emergency declaration.
Old Vincennes near Silvercrest Drive is down to one lane because the road is cracking and sinking into the ground. City leaders say it’s been a problem for years.
“It had been gradually deteriorating,” Councilman Al Knable said.
But the breaking point came this weekend when Knable said a citizen contacted him about the condition of the road. The crumbling and shifting immediately called for the city engineer to order an emergency declaration to get it fixed as soon as possible, especially with all the rain the area is seeing.
“The rain is the primary driving factor in the failure,” New Albany City Engineer Larry Summers said.
It also doesn't help that the road is on a slope.
“The slope is somewhat steep, but not steep enough to where the whole thing would completely collapse and fall away," Summers said. "But it’s an issue that’s been going on for a little while."
The city already had plans to fix the portion of road but was going to wait until Scribner Middle School was out for the summer, because it’s right down the road. Now, that's no longer an option.
“It’s an example we need to prioritize infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure,” Knable said.
Bids are still out on the project but it could cost over a million dollars.
“It really can't wait,” Councilman Bob Caesar said. “It’s going to have to all be taken out and new dirt put in and new drainage put in. And it'll be an expensive fix, but it has to be fixed."
Although the road is heavily traveled, both lanes will need to be shut down in the area during construction, which is expected take two months.
During that time, New Albany Floyd County Schools transportation officials say they'll just have to figure out a detour for buses.
A start date has not yet been set for construction.
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