For many Bosse High School students, getting to and from school each day requires walking across four lanes of Highway 41 traffic during a time when drivers are using it to get to work. While crossing guards are in place and a crosswalk path is clearly painted on the road in an effort to get students across safely, it's still a dangerous trek for everyone. In an effort to make that walk safer, the city has announced changes to the intersection's traffic patterns beginning Tuesday (April 13th, 2021).

Eventually, a pedestrian bridge will be built over the intersection that will allow students and anyone else trying to cross the intersection a much safer way to do so. With the construction of that bridge not even scheduled to begin until 2025, city officials are using the altered traffic patterns as a bridge, if you will, until the construction of the bridge is complete.

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) detailed the pattern changes and how drivers will need to navigate them in a press release Friday afternoon.

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Those changes are as follows:

  • U.S. 41 Southbound and Northbound: The right turn movement from U.S. 41 to Washington Avenue will no longer be allowed on a red light. New signal heads have been added to warn drivers of the new right-turn movement.
  • Washington Avenue Eastbound: A signal has been added for left-turn movements onto U.S. 41 The left turn will yield while the signal is green, and a signal has been added for right-turn movements as well.
  • Washington Avenue Westbound: The lane configuration has been changed to left only in the left lane, through movements only in the middle lane and right turns only in the right lane. This is different from the previous configuration where right turns and through movements were allowed in the right lane. Left turns will yield while the signal is green. A signal has been added for left and right turns onto U.S. 41.

In addition to the lane changes, INDOT says the timing of the signals has also been changed to allow those walking across the intersection more time to do so. This will lead to longer red lights, and therefore longer wait times for drivers. INDOT encourages drivers to prepare accordingly by leaving earlier to get wherever they need to go.

The new patterns go into effect starting at 9:00 a.m. Tuesday.

[Source: INDOT]

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