The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) held its public information meeting Thursday night on the status of State Road 28 in the Skanta Theatre at the Frankfort Community Public Library.
Just over 50 people attended the meeting, which was designed to inform the community of the current plans and project schedule, and included INDOT officials, city officials, some businesses and a few from the public. The meeting started promptly at 7 p.m. and lasted between 30 and 35 minutes as everyone had to be out of the building by 8 p.m.
Gary Fox of INDOT did the majority of the talking at the meeting. He said they were supposed to have the portion of State Road 28 they have been working on and still working on done by the end of October. Fox said only 40 percent of that project is complete. To help fix that problem, Fox said they will work through the winter to try and get caught up.
“We’ll do as much as we possibly can this winter to get back on schedule,” said Fox. “It is possible by the end of next year to reach our goal on completion.”
According to one of the Power Point slides that was presented, the winter schedule will consist of the State Road 28 reconstructed lane with a portion of its being open for westbound traffic. Another part of the winter plan is to work on the existing State Road 28, weather permitting. That includes demolition and removal of the current westbound lane as well as the utilities and underground work.
The changeover from one side to the other is hoped to be complete by the end of next week.
“I think it was a good presentation,” said Frankfort Mayor Judy Sheets. :I’m not sure that we all want the delay that they’re telling us we have to expect. I was kind of shocked that they are at 40 percent complete. I was hoping they were further along than that.”
Sheets did admit that the questions asked at the meeting were the same ones they receiving in her office.
Street Superintendent Jason Forsythe added, “I thought it was a good meeting. INDOT has to be careful about what they say.”
Next year, the work scheduled to be done includes all of 28 east of Jackson, Jackson to Hoke along with the intersection of State Road 28 and State Road 39 by the end of 2022.