Carmel pursuing $1.39M study of 96th Street

The city of Carmel is considering paying up to $1.39 million to conduct a traffic study of the 96th Street corridor.

The study would cover the portion of 96th Street between Haverstick Road and the White River, and include a report on the existing conditions, recommendations to improve access and commuter mobility, and suggestions for what the optimal design of the corridor should be.

Mayor Jim Brainard initially announced plans to remove stoplights along 96th Street and construct roundabouts to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion in February 2015. The project was part of a larger announcement of Brainard’s intentions to invest in capital improvements on the east side of the city, although a price for the projects was not released.

Brainard said at the time that the city had the financial “capacity to do these projects over the next four to five years.”

The 96th Street and Keystone Parkway intersection is not included in the study because the roundabout project proposed there has already been substantially designed, according to city engineer Jeremy Kashman.

Kashman said this study is intended to be used for traffic count data and preliminary layouts for new roundabouts through the corridor.

The report will also recommend a schedule for the proposed road projects. The projects would occur within the next few years, according to Kashman.

Indianapolis architectural and engineering firm American Structurepoint would conduct the study, which could cost up to $1,392,393 and would be paid for from the $160 million bond the Carmel City Council approved in January.

The Carmel Board of Public Works is scheduled to discuss the study Wednesday.