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 recently saw the county awarded $7.5 million in federal funds for various projects, including improvements for Manhattan Road.
Putnam County received about $2.3 million for the Manhattan Road safety project.
"The issue with Manhattan Road is it is so narrow, there are no shoulders and people are running off the road. We got the award and now a request for proposals must go out. The time frame from award to construction is typically five years. If we can get everything sooner, there is a chance it could be completed sooner," Peck told The Putnam County Post.
Last year, Peck raised the issues of Manhattan Road to several Putnam County Commissioners and County Council members during an informal meeting. At that meeting, Peck cited data over the last five years of accidents on Manhattan Road.
During that period, there had 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 decided to seek funding for 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.
"We would look to improve the intersection and include lights to help improve visibility," Peck said.
Now that Putnam County has the funding, preliminary engineering is expected to 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.
"Realigning the intersections and improving the curves will drastically improve safety and mobility for vehicular and pedestrian traffic," Peck said.
In addition, Putnam County received another $117 thousand for a various county roads safety project.
Peck said having a local plan in place helps when it comes time to move forward on applications for funding.
"We are looking at hiring a consultant for the Manhattan Road project and other projects. It will be important and allows us to help design safer projects," Peck said.
