CINCINNATI — A portion of Indiana State Route 1, just north of Brookville, will close for nearly six months beginning Monday, March 10.
Contractor crews will complete a landslide correction project about a half mile north of State Road 101. Depending on weather conditions, an estimated completion date is late July.
“They will install a drainage system allowing for proper drainage in the area, and then they will also repair those sections of roadway that have been affected by the slippage in the area,” said Sidney Nierman, public relations director for the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT).
In the closure area, WCPO crews spotted orange cones where pieces of roadway guardrails had slipped down the hillside.
Look at some of the hillside slippage along the roadway:
Indiana drivers have been down this road before with SR-1. Less than a year ago, a lengthy closure of a nearby portion of the road impacted local traffic as a new bridge was constructed.
“While we understand that that timeline of closures taking place year after year can be frustrating. We do want to remind motorists that we are addressing the needs of the roadway, ultimately, for both motorist safety and to ensure that our roadways are remaining in good condition,” Nierman said.
The official detour route follows S.R. 101 to S.R. 44 to S.R. 1. That route takes drivers through Liberty, Ind.
Customers at local businesses like Pizza Pete are already anticipating the closure.
“You’ll hear everybody complaining,” said Logan Leffingwell, co-owner of Pizza Pete. “‘It usually takes me five minutes to come down and get my food. It’s taken me 25.’”
Many local drivers take an alternative route, Reservoir Road. The residential street does not have a painted line or a shoulder.
“There’s not a lot of give on either side of the road,” Leffingwell said. “There might be a foot.”
Drivers are urged to plan accordingly as they navigate the area in the coming months.
