Plainfield traffic plan put on hold, for now
PLAINFIELD, Ind.(WISH) – A dangerous intersection in Plainfield is the center of controversy.
The construction has already begun at U-S 40 and Ronald Reagan Parkway, but residents who live in a nearby subdivision are angry over the plan.
They said the plan to add a u-turn and a median will make driving around the area more dangerous,town leaders disagree.
“I mean is that what their intent is to make this the most dangerous intersection? Because they’re on the way to doing that,” Resident Dave Foreman said.
“People in the neighborhood have talked about a class action lawsuit,” Foreman added.
The nearby neighborhood is the Medallion Meadows and it’s located on the north side of US 40 and west of Ronald Reagan.
It’s also technically not in Plainfield, but actually located in Avon.
“Our council has always tried to treat all residents the same,” VP of Plainfield Town Council, Bill Kirchoff said.
Kirchoff said as well as adding the u-turn, the plan includes the construction of a new gas station on the south side of US 40.
“Our contention is that we’re very concerned about the safety of that whole area, not just the subdivision. We have like 40,000 cars go through there every day, so we’re trying to look at the big picture, at how we can maintain traffic flow safely,” Kirchoff added.
Another part of the plan, adding a median on 40. By doing so, gone would be the days of driving across traffic in order to go east bound for folks who live in the Medallion Meadows.
‘We were perfectly happy, although it’s not an ideal situation, we’re going across two lanes. But there are a lot of accidents at Ronald Reagan and 40 but not as many here because we’re in and out of the intersection all the time.” Foreman said about crossing traffic.
Plainfield town leaders said they are looking into it.
“We want to look at all of the options, do the right thing. We don’t want to jerk people around, so as soon as we can come up with a good solution, get INDOT to sign off on it, we will meet with neighborhood and have dialogue with them,” Kirchoff said.
Construction however continues on the rest of the plan.
Town officials said the completion date has been pushed back until they come to a final decision.