The Town of Rockville, with administrative oversight from the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) and funding from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), is developing plans for the proposed South Market Street Roadway Reconstruction Project (Des. No. 1600821) located in Rockville, Parke County, Indiana.

 

The need is evidenced by the poor condition of the current roadway and pedestrian facilities, including the existing brick and asphalt pavement having cracking and corner breaks, cracking of the existing sidewalks, and lack of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant curb ramps. Drainage issues also exist along the corridor resulting from a combination of both the lack of continuous storm sewer and undersized existing storm sewer pipes where present. In addition, there are areas of uneven and multi-level walking surfaces within the courthouse square that can prove challenging to pedestrians, especially during situations with high pedestrian volumes like town events. These areas include:

• Curb and sidewalk on the east side of the roadway along the courthouse square

• Curb with an additional varying height step to the sidewalk on the west side of the roadway across from the courthouse square

• Brick pavement of the roadway has areas of loose or crumbling brick-work

 

The purpose of the project is to address the failing pavement conditions and drainage issues and to improve pedestrian accessibility and walkability through the project corridor. The project will include a full-depth pavement reconstruction of South Market Street. From the southern project limits to Pennsylvania Street, the typical roadway section will consist of two 10-foot-wide travel lanes (one northbound and one southbound) with 5-foot-wide bike lanes and 5-foot-wide sidewalks along both sides of the roadway. New sidewalk will be constructed along the west side of the roadway beginning approximately 0.47 mile south and continuing north to existing sidewalk. This roadway section will continue north to High Street; however, the bike lanes will end at Pennsylvania Street. Additionally, the existing parallel parking lane along the west side of the road from High Street to the alley north of Pennsylvania Street will be reconstructed to be a 7-foot-wide parallel parking lane with curb and gutter. Along the east side, the road width will be reduced to construct an 8-foot-wide sidewalk bordered by curb and gutter.

 

At the courthouse square, the existing loose and crumbling brick pavement will be removed and replaced with new brick pavers that are of a standard size, which is anticipated to be similar to the existing pavers.  The roadway section will be modified to include two travel lanes (one 13-foot-wide northbound lane and one 12-foot-wide southbound lane), which will be separated by a 3-foot-wide raised center curb with an 8-foot-wide parallel parking lane between the raised center curb and the northbound lane. Along the outside of the travel lanes, there will be diagonal parking lanes, curb and gutter, and sidewalks. The number of parking spaces will be reduced from 56 to 49 since the existing parking spaces are substandard or smaller than required and are too close to pedestrian crossings. The new parking spaces will be the standard size and appropriately spaced from pedestrian crossings.

 

Additionally, the existing curb will be replaced with a flush curb or curb that is level with the roadway pavement. The travel lanes will be slightly sloped towards the center to direct stormwater flow along the raised concrete center curb to the storm sewer. A mid-block pedestrian crossing will be installed. The retaining wall west of the courthouse lawn will be removed and replaced with a 6-inch curb and the west courthouse lawn will be graded. At the Market and High Street intersection, ADA-compliant ramps and curb bumpouts will be installed at all four corners of the intersection. Pedestrian amenities including benches, trash receptacles, and landscaping will also be added.

 

There is an existing culvert approximately 0.38 miles south of US 36 that conveys an Unnamed Tributary under South Market Street. Wingwalls will be added to the downstream end of the culvert to tie into the roadway slopes and riprap will be installed for scour protection. The project also includes additional improvements throughout the corridor that include utility upgrades, a new storm sewer system, and lighting.

 

The Maintenance of Traffic (MOT) plan for the project involves full closure of South Market Street during construction with detours established to route traffic around the closure. Timing of the closure will be coordinated with the Town of Rockville to accommodate special events. The official detour includes utilizing US 36, US 41 (Lincoln Road), and County Road (CR) 150 South (S). Access to all properties within and adjacent to the project limits will be maintained at all times during project construction. Access for pedestrians will also be maintained and adequate pedestrian detour routes will be provided as needed. The MOT will remain in place for approximately 18 months.