The City of Carmel and the City of Indianapolis have signed an agreement conditioned on approval by both councils to settle a lawsuit regarding the future of 96th Street road construction. The agreement, which was agreed upon as a result of Carmel’s request for court-ordered mediation, gives Carmel the green light to continue its plan to install roundabouts at congested intersections along 96th Street.
State law obligates Indiana cities to build and maintain roads on their southern and eastern borders.
Under the terms of the agreement, new roundabouts will replace traffic-signalized intersections along 96th Street at Hazel Dell Parkway, Gray Road and Delegates Row. Carmel will not acquire any new right of way at the intersection of 96th Street and Randall Drive. In addition, Carmel has agreed to repair any Indianapolis streets damaged as a result of construction detours.
The new inter-local agreement must be approved by both the Carmel City Council and the Indianapolis City-County Council. Upon approval, the lawsuit seeking injunctive relief, filed by Indianapolis, would be dismissed. Carmel would then dismiss its interlocutory appeal of the court’s initial ruling in that lawsuit and both parties would be responsible for paying their own legal expenses.
Under the terms of the settlement agreement, Carmel may immediately resume its right-of-way acquisition efforts on the south side of 96th Street, although it may not close on any acquisitions or begin roadway construction within Indianapolis until the agreement is approved by the legislative bodies of both cities.
Additional terms include:
- Carmel will repave a detour route south of 96th Street that will include River Crossing Blvd from 86th Street north to its intersection with River Road; River Road from River Crossing Boulevard to Brandt Road; Brandt Road from River Road to 96th Street; and River Ridge Drive from Brandt Road to 96th Street.
- Carmel will move forward with the proposed right of way acquisition and reconstruction at Delegates Row, Gray Road and Hazel Dell Parkway.
- If the River Ridge Drive leg of the Gray Road roundabout falls “below service level D” during peak rush hours, Carmel will pay to install a metering signal for traffic during those peak periods.
- Carmel will install and maintain sidewalks on the south side of 96th Street from Priority Way West Drive to just east of River Ridge Drive to tie into an existing sidewalk past Old National Bank.
- Both parties also agreed to appoint representatives to act as liaisons during the construction.
*Source: City of Carmel
