The Shelbyville Common Council will begin the advertising process for Requests For Proposals (RFP) to improve the gateway corridor along State Road 9 from Interstate 74 to downtown Shelbyville.
On Monday at the common council meeting at City Hall, the motion to advertise the RFP was approved. That will allow companies interested in assisting the city with the design and build of the project to submit bids. Representatives from at least three potential companies were in the audience Monday morning for the meeting.
With the bids come the estimated price tag for the project that would improve the corridor from Rampart St. just south of the I-74 to the N. Harrison St. bridge north of the Public Square.
“The Request For Proposal would put out a document or advertisement by the City of Shelbyville that would invite companies to submit a proposal to do that project,” explained Shelbyville Mayor Tom DeBaun. “Those proposals would not obligate the City of Shelbyville to do the project but would give us a very good understanding of what the potential costs could be as well as timeline for completion of the project.”
City Plan Director Adam Rude presented a scope of the project at a September council meeting and stated about 30% of the corridor project design was completed. The submitted bids would help complete the design phase.
Rude’s presentation to the council included creating roundabouts to replace the stop light at Michigan Road and Knauf Drive and at the entrance to Isabelle Farms, a new housing subdivision being built by Arbor Homes along the corridor.
To read the story on the presentation, go to https://shelbycountypost.com/local-news/706543/state-road-9-gateway-corridor-improvement-to-include-two-roundabouts-sidewalk-and-trail
The project also will include adding sidewalks and a trail path along the corridor to increase safety for pedestrian traffic.
“Safety wise, it is a very large road where drivers feel comfortable driving well in excess of 60 miles per hour no matter what it is marked,” said Rude in that presentation. “There is no pedestrian infrastructure out there so from a connectivity standpoint there is no pedestrian connectivity to the north side of town. You see people walking on the shoulder all the time.
“From a character standpoint, this is one of the major entryways and gateways to our community but I don’t think it says what we want it to say … to be blunt.”
City officials have been discussing this project since 2019 and an original design was budgeted at $11 million, but considered too high of a cost.
The latest concept is estimated to be closer to $7 million which city officials believe can be accomplished.
No decision on the prospective bids is expected to come before the December meeting, which may be the last meeting for the current configuration of the council.
The first meeting in January will include a new mayor and at least two new council members. DeBaun’s third term as mayor is ending and he is not running for a fourth term.
Council members Rob Nolley and Brian Asher both opted not to run for another term.
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