The SR 11 roadway project is located in southern Harrison County, Indiana, in a region consisting of steep bedrock terrain with a large bluff that overlooks Buck Creek on the east side. The roadways in southern Harrison County that provide a connection from SR 135 to SR 11 have documented safety concerns. The purpose of the SR 11 Roadway Project is to provide a roadway in the southern region of Harrison County that provides improved safety performance connecting SR 135 to SR 11 by designing and constructing a roadway that meets current design standards, which includes wider lanes, usable shoulders, clear zones, and adequate sight distances to reduce crash frequencies and crash cost in this portion of the county.
A unique feature of this project was the karst topography in this region due to the underlying limestone within this area of Indiana. The underlying limestone in this area of Indiana resulted in a number of karst features being identified within the project area. Many different types of surveys were conducted early on in the NEPA process to identify karst feature locations within the project area. In addition, specific deign elements are being included in the design of the project to protect the karst region from runoff from the proposed roadway project. Another unique feature of this project is the large bluff located on the east side of Buck Creek within the central portion of the project, which is over 150 feet high. The project also required a lot of public involvement due to portions of the project being on new terrain. Kitchen Table Meetings (KTMs) were offered to everyone potentially being impacted by the project and many accepted the offer and KTMs were held with them to discuss project specifics and potential impact to their property. The Preferred Alternative identified in the Environmental Assessment for this project utilizes existing roadways wherever feasible to reduce the environmental impacts to the area to as much as possible.
