Board approves conditional Simon Road closure for water-main relocation

The Franklin City Board of Works and Safety on July 6 approved a temporary closure of Simon Road at the intersection with U.S. 31 to allow a contractor to lower a water main as part of an Indiana American water-main relocation tied to a new storm sewer.

An Infrastructure Systems representative told the board the work requires excavation to a depth of about 15 feet and that the trenching makes a full closure necessary for safety. He said the contractor will post "road closed" signs and detour information at least seven days before closure and offered to hand-deliver notices to businesses if the city requests it.

Board members pressed staff to identify a dependable alternate route for residents who live behind the closure and to avoid routing neighborhood traffic onto private driveways. The board said the closure should not force residents to use private business driveways and asked staff to work with the city engineer to identify and communicate a safe circulation plan.

The board approved the motion with conditions: the closure must include proper advance notification to affected businesses and residents; staff should identify and publicize alternatives for resident access; and the work must be completed and the road reopened before the start of the local school term. The Infrastructure Systems representative said, if approved, the contractor could mobilize a closure within roughly two to three weeks and close the road about three to four weeks after that schedule was set.

The board asked the contractor to stay in close contact with the city engineer and to file a final maintenance-of-traffic plan showing signage, detours, and a notification plan for nearby businesses and residents.