Bloomington will undergo multiple construction projects into the summer months in order to repair roads, redevelop areas and construct new transmission lines. Here some residents can expect in the coming months:
Hopewell Project
The City of Bloomington will redevelop the former location of the IU Health Bloomington Hospital on Second Street. They will also use the surrounding properties to build a new neighborhood and park amenities as part of the Hopewell Project, according to a City of Bloomington press release. The project will add park amenities such as a lawn area, a wetland garden and trees along the north side of University Street.
The redevelopment will be in a 24-acre area used for affordable housing, according to the project website. According to the press release, the project will receive $1.8M in grant funding from The Indiana Uplands Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative for the construction of a corridor on a portion of Jackson Street.
“Buying Hopewell lets us rebuild from the ground up a new neighborhood in our downtown – and this grant accelerates the process,” Mayor John Hamilton said in the press release. “We will restore a city-scale grid of streets and sidewalks to support a mix of housing types built for sustainability and affordability.”
Related: [IU Foundation purchases Bear’s Place building, parking lot, residential property]
The first phase of the project started in August 2022 and was completed in October 2022, according to the project website. This included demolition and restoration of the area between Second Street, Morton Street, First Street and Rogers Street. to make room for the neighborhood.
The targeted completion for the infrastructure phase of the project is spring 2024, according to the project website. This phase will include an extension of Madison Street from Second Street to First Street and the creation of a new street running east to west from Morton to Rogers Streets.
John Zody, director of the Department of Housing and Neighborhood Development, said in an email his role for the project is to make sure there is a mix of types of housing in the future neighborhood.
“The Hopewell Project is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Bloomington to redevelop 24 acres in the middle of the city,” Zody said in the email. “The project will include improvements to infrastructure, both existing and new, as well as several types of housing and other amenities such as greenspace and retail to make sure this new neighborhood serves its residents and our community overall.”
B-Line Connection Project
The B-Line Connection Project will connect the B-Line trail at Adams Street with the path on the overpass at 17th Street and I-69. The City of Bloomington said in a press release the construction phase of the project will begin in June.
The B-Line Trail was created in 2011 and extends 3.1 miles through Bloomington from Adams Street to Country Club Drive.
The project is expected to begin in June and be completed by June 2024 according to the press release.
Roy Aten, senior project manager with the City of Bloomington Engineering Department, said in an email the funding for the project will come from the city’s general fund, the Redevelopment Commission’s tax increment fund, and the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance’s Tax Increment Financing.
[Related: Bloomington to start construction of B-Line Connection Project]
Bloomington Reliability Project
Duke Energy will construct new transmission lines that will go to three substations in a 3.3-mile transmission corridor in Bloomington, according to their website. Construction for the Bloomington Reliability Project will begin this summer according to Duke’s website.
Transmission lines bring electricity from a substation to where it is needed such as a house or business according to the U.S. Department of Labor. An electric substation turns electricity into different voltages so it can be sent into houses or businesses.
Liz Irwin, the government and community relations manager at Duke Energy, said Duke is funding the project and managing the construction. The contractors are The L.E. Meyers Co. for the transmission work and Hydaker-Wheatlake Company for distribution, Irwin said.
Irwin said the project will provide additional capacity by expanding the Rogers Street substation and using the new transmission lines to connect it with the 11th Street substation and the Dunn Street Substation. The project will allow Duke to address the impacts of severe weather and improving the resiliency of the electric system will allow for quicker recovery of service, decreasing the number of affected customers, she said.
Construction for phase two of the project will begin in the summer of 2023 and go through Dec. 2023 according to Duke’s website. In early 2024, restoration and material removal will take place. Phase two will affect the area on the South-West side of the IU football stadium.
Construction for phase three of the project will take place February through the summer of 2023. In the fall of 2023 restoration and material removal will take place. Phase three will affect Rogers Street near Switchyard Park to 11th Street.
Winslow Resurfacing Project
The Winslow Resurfacing Project will resurface Winslow Road from west of Walnut Street to Allendale Street, according to a City of Bloomington press release. The project will add another layer of asphalt and replace sidewalk curb ramps. Construction is anticipated to begin this summer and last into the fall.
The Winslow Resurfacing Project was approved in September 2022 by the Bloomington Redevelopment Commission.
“Replacing sidewalk curb ramps is something that makes sense to do in coordination with the resurfacing because otherwise you would be tearing up the adjacent asphalt,” Senior project engineer for the City of Bloomington Neil Kopper said. “This way you can replace the ramp and you are going to put in new asphalt anyway.”
Milestone Contractors was selected by the Redevelopment Commission to complete the project. The project’s construction will be funded by the Community Crossings Matching Grant program according to the press release. The Community Crossings Matching Grant program provides funding to areas across Indiana to make improvements on roads according to their website.
