Do proposed improvements to Lloyd Expressway in Evansville go far enough?
John T. MartinEVANSVILLE, Ind. — Major construction projects are being considered for Lloyd Expressway, and state and local officials soon will want your input on them.
The Indiana Department of Transportation proposed upgrades for Lloyd's intersections with Cross Pointe Boulevard, Burkhardt Road and Vann Avenue on the East Side and Rosenberger Avenue on the West Side.
None of the projects include new interchanges.
Instead, INDOT said it intends to let this work in 2024:
* Updating Vann Avenue to include a “right in, right out” configuration, allowing only right turn movements into and out of Vann at Lloyd Expressway.
* A new displaced left turn at Burkhardt Road. This type of intersection allows for continuous movement of mainline traffic and offers a designated lane for left turn movements.
* Cross Pointe Boulevard is to receive a hybrid of a median u-turn style intersection combined with a displaced left movement described above.
* Joseph Avenue and Rosenberger Avenue are to receive extended left turn lanes to assist with congestion, with Rosenberger’s left turn lanes being offset.
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Mayor Lloyd Winnecke said there will be forums over the next few months about the projects, and he encouraged the public to attend those and comment. The schedule of those forums has not been released.
INDOT recently funded a State Road 66/62 (Lloyd Expressway) corridor study. Although there have been calls for a Lloyd overpass on the East Side, INDOT and its consultants have said the solutions they have proposed will improve Lloyd's traffic flow.
“The problem with building an interchange on Lloyd is not just that the right-of-way is quite expensive, and you have major utility impacts. You’re also looking at major traffic disruption for a couple of years,” Brian Aldridge, an engineer with INDOT consultant Stantec, said at a Southwest Indiana Chamber event last year.
Vanderburgh County Commissioner Cheryl Musgrave said the type of turn lanes INDOT has proposed aren't sufficient improvements for Lloyd Expressway.
"Our community expected the road to be built to a higher standard to live up to its name — expressway," Musgrave said. "That type of turn doesn't conform. You might think it's better than what there is now. But basically, it's the end of the line for the road. They won't come around ... in five years or more after doing this and invest in an interchange."
Winnecke has not endorsed any specific approach to improving Lloyd Expressway traffic but wants to hear public opinion on what INDOT has proposed, according to his office.
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The mayor's office on Friday posted a video to YouTube of Winnecke and others driving through a displaced turn lane in the St. Louis area.
"The Indiana Department of Transportation has been very good to work with," Winnecke says in the video. "They understand the frustrations we all have traveling the expressway. They have been trying to find practical and affordable solutions that will help end the frustrations."
A news release from INDOT noted that some of the solutions being proposed will be unfamiliar to Evansville motorists.
"Alternative style intersections have been proven to increase both safety and mobility where they are installed," INDOT said in the release. "The specific style of intersection at each Lloyd Expressway location were chosen after careful consideration and study of current traffic counts, movements, and habits. The programmed projects will also be designed with growth of the area in mind."
