New Section of Waterworks Road Scheduled to Open Monday, November 11
The intersection at Veterans Memorial Parkway includes turn lanes, traffic signal
 (Evansville, IN) – The new section of Waterworks Road is scheduled to open on Monday, November 11, 2019, after the morning rush hour around 9 a.m. The project includes a new intersection at Veterans Memorial Parkway with dedicated left-turn lanes and a fully functional traffic signal. The old section of Waterworks Road will only be used as a temporary construction entrance and for access to the Water Filtration Plant, Levee Authority building, and Street Maintenance Department.
The traffic signal at Veterans Memorial Parkway and Shawnee Drive will remain so motorists can safely turn south onto the Parkway. Once a new entrance and driveway to the municipal buildings are finished, the construction entrance off the old section of Waterworks Road will be closed and the traffic signal at Veterans Memorial Parkway and Shawnee Drive will be changed to a three-way traffic signal.
The posted speed limit on Veterans Memorial Parkway has been reduced to 45 mph to slow down traffic as it nears the traffic signals at Waterworks Road and Shawnee Drive heading into the downtown area. Transverse rumble strips have been embedded in the pavement on Veterans Memorial Parkway to alert drivers of the need to reduce speed.
Approximately 1,400 feet of Waterworks Road was relocated to bypass the area where a new pump station is currently under construction at the site of the former Kids Kingdom playground, and to make way for the replacement and relocation of three 36-inch water lines. The pump station is one of many projects planned over the next 25 years as part of the Renew Evansville program, the Evansville Water and Sewer Utility’s $729 million response to a federal mandate requiring the City of Evansville to comply with the Clean Water Act. Upgrades are required to the sewer system to dramatically reduce combined sewer overflows into the Ohio River, Pigeon Creek, and Bee Slough.
“The relocation project was needed to improve our infrastructure,” said Mayor Lloyd Winnecke. “But it will also be the first of many projects that will enhance the gateway to Downtown Evansville.”
The new section of Waterworks Road was built with a level shoulder along the western edge of the road that can be developed in the future as an extension of the Pigeon Creek Greenway, creating more walking and biking space for citizens to enjoy. The new path would provide a connection back to the pump station, which will have a park-like setting with a cascading water outfall at the riverfront.
Evansville Water and Sewer Utility recently opened bids on the cascade outfall that will be tied to a lift station below ground at the pump station. The lift station will pump treated water from the East Wastewater Treatment Plant to the cascade over the levee at the Ohio River.
Evansville Water and Sewer Utility Deputy Director Mike Labitzke added, “Above ground, we’ll have the wastewater laboratory relocated to this site, as well as an overlook on top of the pump station and some other amenities.†Construction on the cascade will begin in 2020 and should take a few years to complete.
“The relocation of Waterworks Road is one of the most visual changes so far in a multi-decade effort to comply with the federal consent decree,†said Evansville Water and Sewer Utility Executive Director Allen Mounts. Future changes include the construction of wetlands along Veterans Memorial Parkway.
See the attached image of the new intersection at Waterworks Road and Veterans Memorial Parkway.
