Footbridge, reduced conflict intersection under construction at Evansville crossroads

WNIN | By Tim Jagielo

Published March 21, 2024 at 11:07 AM CDT

A the corner of US-41 and Washington Avenue in Evansville, a worker prepares to climb the crane which is being used to establish footings for the pedestrian footbridge. The bridge should be open this fall.

The footbridge spanning US-41 at Washington Avenue will be wheelchair accessible; intersection will be converted into a ‘reduced conflict intersection’ hopefully reducing crashes

One northbound lane of US-41 is closed as work begin on the footbridge across US-41 at Washington Avenue in Evansville. This INDOT project is years in the making, having been discussed starting in the 1990s.

Crews for highway and bridge contractor Ragle Incorporated have just begun the work of installing a pedestrian footbridge over US-41.

On Wednesday afternoon, a multi-story crane towers over the roadway to build the footings of the bridge. It’s taken more than a decade to get to this point as many community members and Bosse High School students and Washington Middle School students have to cross the busy highway every day.

Evansville Vanderburgh School Board member Mike Duckworth has said that students are taking a risk just to get to school.

“This project, I think, will ensure not only students getting here without playing ‘Frogger’ out in the middle of the road and, and stopping in the middle of median and letting 1000s of cars go by. It's also going to help the neighborhood.”

Duckworth made those comments at the September 2023 new conference announcing the project.

At the same event, former Mayor Lloyd Winnecke said discussions of a footbridge at this intersection have been happening as early as the 1990s.

INDOT rendering of the footbridge location

Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) area spokesperson Gary Brian said they are on track to finish the footbridge fall of this year.

“Getting those kids coming to and from school a safe alternative than trying to cross 41 getting up and over '41, not having to deal with any in traffic — that's a big deal”

The “reduced conflict intersection” construction will run concurrently and will be done next spring.

It will eliminate driving through U-S 41 on Washington Avenue. Drivers will instead make a right turn and perform a U-turn to head the other way or merge and make another right to continue on Washington.

Brian said the new intersection will take extra time to navigate, but will be safer overall by reducing the number of crashes and the severity of crashes that occur.

“When there are crashes, they are less of the rear end, or angle crashes,” he said. “And those types of crashes are the more impactful. Those are the ones that end up getting more serious injuries.”

Brian says there were 15 severe injury crashes at that intersection from 2016 to 2018, and 85 property damage collisions in the same time period.

Motorists should expect at least one lane on US-41 to be closed for the duration of the project.

There will also be abundant signage to warn motorists to turn right only.

One lane, and the corresponding sidewalk are closed at Washington and US-41.

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