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Board approves study to evaluate NDOT relinquishment of State Road 39 to city
Summary
The Board authorized a corridor study to evaluate taking over State Road 39 (Lebanon Street) from the state, including what improvements or funding would be required; Avenue will perform the study with A&F Engineering providing traffic modeling, and the study will be funded from road impact fees subject to council appropriation.
The Lebanon City Board of Works on April 14 approved a corridor study of State Road 39 (Lebanon Street) to prepare for possible relinquishment of the route from the Indiana Department of Transportation to the city.
Why it matters: Relinquishment would shift long-term maintenance and capital responsibility from the state to the city; the study is intended to quantify what improvements, payments or commitments would be needed before the city would accept ownership.
Engineering director Kevin Prilich described the scope as identifying upgrades the city would require from NDOT, any upfront payments or ten‑year funding commitments the state might provide, and long‑term operational implications. Avenue will lead the study; A&F Engineering — which manages the city’s traffic modeling — will provide traffic impact modeling.
Prilich told the Board the study’s cost will be funded from road impact fees the city has collected and that staff will submit an appropriation request to the City Council; the Board’s approval was conditional on that forthcoming appropriation. The corridor could extend from I‑65 to State Road 47, though the county indicated interest in assuming a northern portion from 300 North to SR 47; if the county declines, the state has indicated it could relinquish the full corridor to the city.
Board members said the study will provide leverage in negotiations with NDOT by producing a documented list of required improvements and estimated costs rather than relying on informal discussions.
Ending: Staff will advance the appropriation request and, if approved by council, execute the consultant contract and begin the corridor analysis and traffic modeling work.
