For years, Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard talked about reimagining Range Line Road, a commercial corridor through the center of the city. The plan was to reduce lanes and add roundabouts, medians, sidewalks and street-side parking. An unveiling of the vision took place in April 2017.
Roundabouts are already complete at Carmel Drive, City Center Drive and 4th Street, and many new sidewalks are finished. Construction crews are still working on the project between Carmel and City Center drives, sometimes resulting in lane closures, gravel and orange cones.
Brainard said the good news is construction should be complete in that area in late June and will certainly be complete in time for the city’s annual Fourth of July parade.
“It’s going to be beautiful, and it’s going to be safer for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists,” Brainard said. “It’s really a grand entry into our city. We want people to drive up Range Line and not just have a safe and efficient road, but a beautiful one as well.”
The remaining work on Range Line Road will be north of City Center Drive to Main Street, which will be a 2019 project. Brainard said with all the construction in the Midtown area, the city doesn’t want the roads torn up until the projects are more complete. The phase on Range Line Road will be done in conjunction with a new roundabout at 6th Street, near the Monon Square Shopping Center. The roundabout will be added because streets will likely be extended to create more east-west access to the Midtown area.
It is all part of a $13.4 million transformation of Range Line Road between Main Street and Executive Drive.
