Roundabout alteration to interchange

Project credit goes to Henderson’s future vision

   Greenwood’s redevelop commission has decided to put in a Round about into the I-65 interchange. Monday commission President Lee Money supported the change and the added expense. Safety, ease of traffic maneuvering and fewer accidents was only a few of the reasons for the promotion of the change.

    The change was said to be worth the expense in the end by Mark Richards Community director and most of the Redevelopment board. The $20 million dollar project will be adding about $500,000 for the changed intersection.

  Many may recall the great expense in redirecting Sheek road the last few years in anticipation of this approval for the interchange by INDOT. Plans for the widening of Worthville road has also been pre-designed and approved. However, with the new administration and the “Free reign” the Mayor has given commissions. It is quite possible the earlier designed four lane Worthville road with a median may change into a larger road.

    The Worthville road project brought a lot of pre-spending from Greenwood and the redesign and re-construction of Sheek road. The design of Worthville road included a straightening of the curve west of US31 and a four lane east-west corridor that was to run east to and one half mile past the interchange.

   The approval of the design planning was also in hopes of Shelbyville continuing the road to create a east-west main corridor from Shelbyville to SR-135. This would aid in making the Johnson county east-west hookup with the newly design and controversial I-69 project.

    The planning of Greenwood is to be complimented for its vision of the future. Including the master plan which included the design of Worthville east-west corridor. Mayor Charles Henderson did indeed have a vision for the future of Greenwood steering the city into future and tenaciously seeking INDOT approval of the interchange project. Couple that with the decision to redirect Sheek road and prepare the area for an interchange was a brilliant decision long before the approval came from INDOT.

    Sheek road in done, more or less, all that remains is the interchange and Worthville implementation of the earlier designed plans.

   For Greenwood to reap the benefits, that this interchange will bring cannot be under estimated. More importantly, Greenwood will see this vision of The Henderson Administration materialize. Although you can bet not many writers will give credit to the Henderson administration. It is certainly a fact that Greenwood will know of the benefits of this pre-planned project that Henderson steered for many years to get implemented.

    At the very least past Mayor Charles Henderson has the bragging rights to the entire project approval from INDOT - before he left office.