A design change along with weather delays have pushed the completion of Salem’s roundabout at the bypass to late August, according to Natalie Garrett, INDOT Public Relations Director, Southeast District. 

Construction was halted for over a week recently while design changes were made. 

Garrett said design changes were made to the splitter islands on each approach leg of the roundabout to make them mountable.

“As of now, the completion date has been moved to late August,” she said.

Garrett said “mountable” means that the elevation of the curb is lowered so the back wheels of trucks and other large vehicles can travel over the curb if needed.

The interior island was already designed to be mountable, she said. 

Garrett talked about the project in mid-May on WSLM’s Coffee Club. 

She said the bypass will remain closed until the project is completed and SR60 will close entirely for work on the single-lane structure in June. 

“The entire intersection will close,” she said. “That will be about a month. Sometime in June. We will share the detour route and get people where they need to go.”

Initially, the public has been vocal about the roundabout but Garrett said INDOT was in hopes that the public embraces the project. 

“We’ve experienced (opposition) a lot here in southern Indiana,” said Garrett. “It’s a newer thing. We hope that once we get this thing built, people can adjust to it a little better. A lot of people compare it to the one in Jeffersonville, but this one is a lot simpler —  a single-lane roundabout. Once they get a chance to try it out, their opinions will change.”

She said the main goal was to reduce serious accidents. 

“Our goal is to improve safety and reduce crashes. We’re not saying it will eliminate all crashes, but it should eliminate the severe crashes,” said Garrett. 

She said roundabouts are designed with large trucks and agriculture in mind.

“We’ve run multiple models and have multiple engineers to work on this. The way they’re designed, as vehicles are approaching, they are designed in a way to make people slow down. Whether you’re in a passenger vehicle or a large truck. If you’re in a large truck, you’ll be slowing down as you enter. There will be a truck apron on the center island….which is mountable,” she said. 

She said roundabouts eliminate possible crash points in an intersection.

“We’ve tried a number of other improvements,” said Garrett. “Advanced warning signs, rumble strips, oversized stop signs, adding lights to those stopsigns — some of those worked better than others. We were trying some lower-cost things before we came in and completely rebuilt the intersection.”

She said a stoplight was not considered because it would cause people to stop suddenly and could lead to more rear-end crashes. 

“The roundabout just seemed the best option,” she said. “People are a little apprehensive or nervous. But we think that it will work well. Once they drive through it and get used to it.”

Garrett pointed out that recently roundabouts have been constructed in North Vernon and Madison, which will be similar to the ones in Salem.

Roundabouts reduced injury crashes by 75 percent at intersections where stop signs or signals were previously used for traffic control, according to a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

“People don’t like change, but I hope they will see the benefits down the road,” said Garrett. “Our goal is to improve safety and reduce crashes.”

Wish you could do more to prevent chronic disease?   Connections IN Health, a team through the Indiana CTSI, is getting to know the Washington County community to find out the interests and goals of community members related to chronic disease. 

Focus areas include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, nutrition, food security, physical activity, asthma, cancer, and health equity. If you know someone suffering from any of these chronic diseases, you are aware of the devastation these illnesses can have on individuals and their loved ones. 

If someone were willing to give your community the boost it needed to address
these issues by providing resources, support, and notable funding ($10,000 available to address cardiovascular disease, stroke, and diabetes), would you do your part to ensure this happened? 

Well, here is your chance by acting now!   

The engagement of Washington County begins in Summer 2021.   It all starts with a very simple survey where you can provide input and indicate if you are willing to have a conversation with the team to share more insight regarding health-related matters in Washington County. 

The team will be using the survey to guide their efforts.  Connections IN Health will work alongside existing community partners/programs and individuals in order to improve and reach the community’s health goals, share resources, and build networks throughout the county. 

If you are interested in participating, complete the survey using this link:

https://go.iu.edu/3LGJ. The Connections IN Health team will start contacting those who wish to share more information in a listening session this summer.  Still have questions or want to know how to get a paper copy of the survey? 

Contact your local Washington County team members at Purdue Extension by emailing Sonya H Mitchell, Health and Human Sciences Educator, at shmitche@purdue.edu  or Katelyn Kutemeier, Community Wellness Coordinator, at kkutemei@purdue.edu, or call us at (812) 883-4601 with any additional questions or requests.  

Let us know how Washington County would benefit most by being a part of this effort to bring resources, connections, opportunities for further networking, and evidence-based tools to support this team effort to build a healthier Washington County.  We need you in order to make the most of this wonderful opportunity!

The SWAG (See What Ag. Gives) Team invites all Washington County farmers and
agribusiness people to the announcement of the 2021 Agriculture Hall of Fame winner on
Tuesday, June 15, 2021 between the 4-H Dairy Beef and Wash. Co. Born & Raised Beef Show at approx. 6:00 pm in the livestock show arena.

Farmers and agribusiness people that RSVP with the Purdue Extension – Washington County office at 812-883-4601, check-in with the SWAG table near the show arena, and attend the Ag. Hall of Fame announcement will receive a $5 voucher to use anytime during the fair at one of the Livestock Producer Groups Concessions Stands, along with a coupon for a free ice cream from the Washington County 4-H Clover Creamery.

Vouchers and coupons are limited to the first 200 RSVP’s.

The SWAG Team hopes many will join them to honor a deserving Agriculture Hall of Fame recipient, enjoy delicious food, and support 4-H members as they show their cattle born and raised in Washington County.

Vaccinations most effective way to protect yourself, city officials say

On Tuesday, Mayor Greg Fischer and Dr. Sarah Moyer, Louisville’s Chief Health Strategist, announced Louisville’s COVID-19 status has been downgraded to yellow for the first time since July 2020.

Dr. Moyer said the change is encouraging considering the state of the city being at a high-level red in the winter. She cautioned that an alert level yellow status means there is still potential for community spread and that the most effective way to protect yourself from the virus is to get vaccinated.

“Think back to last summer when we were in the yellow and how nervous we were then with the high level of disease in our community,” she said. “Vaccines are really good at preventing hospitalizations, deaths, shortening the length of this disease and preventing long-term effects. If you’re not vaccinated and are around others that aren’t vaccinated, please continue to get tested weekly especially if you have symptoms. We know that early medical intervention helps prevent hospitalization.”

Mayor Fischer said the city is beginning to have a pre-pandemic atmosphere following the capacity restrictions expanding to 75% for businesses and events, and curfew ending for bars and restaurants. The mayor said while many public health experts feel good about the upcoming summer months, residents still need to stay vigilant in following safety measures to avoid the virus spreading uncontrollably in the community.

“What we know is that we have to stay humble to this virus,” Mayor Fischer said. “Its job is to live and it’s not going to give up easily. The more people get vaccinated, the easier it will be for this virus to go away.”

Here are the key COVID-19 data metrics for the week of May 31, 2021:

• There were 391 new cases over the previous week, 9 new deaths were reported.
• Hospitalization data:
  • 63 patients currently hospitalized have COVID-19, compared to 71 last week.
  • 27 patients in ICU with COVID-19 as of May 31, compared to 25 the week prior
  • 18 COVID-19 patients on ventilators as of May 31, compared to 16 last week.
  • All hospitalized patients are unvaccinated.
  • Hospitalizations rising in 40- to 50-year-olds

• 752,575 total vaccine doses given in Metro Louisville since December.
• 51% of Louisville residents have received at least one dose of vaccine and 40.2% have completed the vaccine series.

Individuals who need assistance scheduling a vaccine appointment can call the LOU Health Helpline at (502)-912-8598, or they can visit Vaccines.gov to find providers near them.

First Responder Data

Currently, six members of LMPD, Louisville Fire, Metro EMS, Metro Corrections and the Sheriff’s Office are off-duty due to COVID-19:

• 4 are off with positive tests and in self-isolation

• 1 is off and quarantined due to exposure to someone who tested positive

• 1 is off with symptoms, pending test results

 Positive test numbers for first responders/public safety since the incident began:

• 570 positive tests
• 564 have fully recovered and returned to duty

Metro Corrections inmate data:

Total Tested: 8,140

Total Positive: 433

Total Recovered: 420

Total currently under medical isolation: 13

Total tests pending: 0