Motorists who drive Manhattan Road in Putnam County already know how dangerous the road can be.
So does Putnam County Highway Engineer Jim Peck, who presented a plan Wednesday during an informal meeting featuring a group of members from the Putnam County Commissioners and Putnam County Council of potential future upgrades to the road. 
Citing data over the last five years, there have been 129 crashes between U.S. 40 and Greencastle, and 19 are in the vicinity of County Road 550 South and County Road 575 South, according to Peck. Of the 129 wrecks, 18 resulted in injuries, 60 percent resulted in lane departure and 20 percent involved an animal. 

As a result, Peck presented a request to submit an application for a curve correction project on Manhattan Road. The project includes correcting 700 feet of roadway north of County Road 550 South and 800 feet south to County Road 575 South to improve intersections and sight distance. The project comes with a price tag of $3.4 million and would be funded through federal funds and local funds. 

"We would look to improve the intersection and include lights to help improve visibility," Peck said. 

The application will have to be submitted by Dec. 1, and according to Peck, the county would know if it was selected by next March. 
Should they be selected, preliminary engineering work would begin in 2024, right of way acquisitions in 2026 and utilities moved in 2028, with construction beginning in 2028, as well. 

In addition to correcting the curves and increasing visibility, the project will also assist the National Heritage Trail, which crosses Manhattan Road at an abandoned railbed and has a trailhead located just north of 575 South. 
Peck said he anticipates an increase in pedestrian traffic. 
He said realigning the intersections and improving the curves will drastically improve safety and mobility for vehicular and pedestrian traffic. 

Get the most recent Putnam County Post headlines delivered to your email. Go to putnamcountypost.com and click on the free daily email signup link at the top of the page.