The Tillotson Avenue bridge over the White River will be closed until fall. Image courtesy of Google Maps.
A popular route in Muncie is closed as contractors begin rebuilding the Tillotson Avenue Bridge over the White River and White River Greenway.
The closure of the 50-year-old bridge will re-route nearly 10,000 daily
drivers in the area along Tillotson Avenue, according to a press release from the Indiana Department of Transportation, and a detour will redirect traffic to nearby Nichols Avenue.
According to the Star Press, the $2.2 million project to replace and restore the bridge has been in the works for years, and city officials
have noted its importance to traffic flow.
The project is slated to be finished by
late October.
The South Burlington Drive bridge on Muncie's southeast side — which directs traffic over the U.S. 35 (State Road 3/67) Muncie bypass — will also be closed starting Wednesday, April 5.
The $1.6 million project is set to take at least 130 days, according to the Indiana Department of Transportation, and the bridge
is expected to be closed to traffic until mid-August.
During
the closure, a signed detour will direct traffic west to Meeker Avenue
via Delaware County Road 300 South and East Memorial Drive.
The Muncie bypass will remain open during the project, however, allowing two lanes in both directions during construction.
The speed will be reduced to 45 mph when workers are present. When they are not, the speed will be 55 mph.