Indiana's Lt. Gov. attends groundbreaking for Boonville Bypass

Indiana Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann joined Warrick County Commissioner Marlin Weisheit, Boonville Mayor Pam Hendrickson and representatives from Alcoa and the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) to break ground on the Boonville Bypass project this week in Warrick County.

“I am thrilled to help celebrate the start of this long-anticipated project thanks to the cooperative efforts of state and local officials,” Ellspermann said. “The Boonville Bypass will improve safety and mobility by rerouting heavy truck traffic west of downtown.”

Yesterday’s groundbreaking marks the official start of a $17.3 million INDOT contract awarded in September to Force Construction of Columbus, Indiana. But the project unofficially began in July under a $2.3 million contract with Blankenberger Brothers Construction of Cynthiana, Indiana, with the first steps involving earth moving, clearing and utility relocations.

Boonville lies between northern Warrick County’s coalfields and the Alcoa smelter on the Ohio River near Yankeetown. Trucks now must travel on Indiana 61 directly through the Boonville Courthouse Square.

The 4.2-mile Boonville Bypass will reroute State Road 61 west of downtown from New Harmony Road to the State Route 261 and State Route 62 intersection. Alcoa Warrick Operations, headquartered in Newburgh, donated 35 acres of land for the bypass construction.

The project will include roundabout intersections to improve safety and traffic flow where the bypass intersects New Harmony, Eskew and Millersburg roads. INDOT expects the new Boonville Bypass to open for traffic by the end of 2017.