NIPSCO Construction in Alley between Sheridan and Oliver – UPDATE

NIPSCO has informed us that they are ready to begin Phase II of the Pole Relocation project on Thursday, September 14, 2023.  They have estimated that Phase II will run from Thursday, September 14, through Friday, September 15, and possibly Monday September 18, 2023 if needed.  Please see the details of Phase II and the related closures below under the Phase II section.

As of September 8, 2023, NIPSCO has successfully completed Phase I of the Pole Relocation project.  

Original Message Follows:

NIPSCO will be performing construction in the East/West alley between Sheridan and Oliver North of 119th Street (the alley which runs parallel with 119th Street behind the Hoosier Theatre) in phases between September 5, 2023, through September 8, 2023 (see red, orange, and pink area in map for details of the section of the alleys and Streets that will be closed or for parking restrictions).

Phase I – September 5, 2023:

The East/West alley between LaPorte and Sheridan will be closed to through traffic.  Residents on LaPorte and Sheridan will have access to the North/South alley that runs between LaPorte and Sheridan up to the T-Intersection with the East/West alley (see the red area on the map for road closures).  All traffic on the North/South alley will need to enter/exit via LaPorte Avenue or 118th Street (see map – two sided yellow arrows show traffic flow and direction for turns for alley).

The East/West alley between Sheridan and Oliver will also be closed to through traffic.  Residents on LaPorte and Oliver will have the same access to the North/South alley as noted above (up to the T-Intersection with the East/West alley), but all traffic will need to enter/exit via Oliver Street or 117th Street.

Sheridan Avenue will be closed to through traffic between 118th Street and 119th Street and will dead-end at the East/West alley.  Traffic in the 1800 block of Sheridan will be allowed to travel in both directions to allow resident access (see map – two sided arrow shows two-way traffic flow in 1800 block ONLY of Sheridan Avenue). Please follow posted detour signage during construction. See map for details of construction area.

Phase II – September 14 – 15, 2023, and September 18, 2023:

The East/West alley between Sheridan and Oliver will be closed to through traffic.  Residents on Sheridan and Oliver will have access to the North/South alley that runs between Sheridan and Oliver up to the T-Intersection with the East/West alley.  The T-Intersection in the East/West alley WILL BE CLOSED (see the orange area on the map for road closures).  All traffic on the North/South alley will need to enter and exit from the North entrance to the alley from 117th Street (see map – the yellow arrow on the map indicates the direction you must use to enter and exit the North/South alley).  Oliver Street will have parking restrictions (see pink area on map) near the East/West alley to allow for construction vehicle parking and access.  Oliver Street will also have a flagman to control traffic while construction vehicles access the area. Please follow posted detour signage during construction.  See map for details of construction area.

See the Viper Switch Traffic Control Plan for more details of road closures and traffic flow.  The first page of this document details Phase I of the construction project, while Page 2 details Phase II of the construction project.

This schedule is subject to change depending on weather conditions.  We will keep you updated on any changes that may occur.

 

PURPOSE OF CONSTRUCTION PROJECT:

NIPSCO will be moving one of the newly installed emergency poles from its current location to a new location in the alley during this construction.  These emergency poles are the very tall, rusted looking poles that are being placed throughout the region.  These emergency poles that NIPSCO is installing are being installed to improve the reliability of the power supply.  In the event of a failure in one grid (for instance a tree limb taking down a line), these emergency poles will provide service to the areas that may have otherwise been affected by a power outage.  NIPSCO will be able to automatically switch the service on and off using radio-controlled switches installed on these emergency poles to route emergency power to areas and reduce the customer impact of the outage, while allowing NIPSCO to make the necessary repairs on the downed lines.

Please be patient with us during this construction period.  We are grateful that NIPSCO is installing these emergency poles to benefit our area and improve the reliability of the local power supply to our residents.

 

NIPSCO Map of Construction in Alley between Sheridan and Oliver

Nipsco – Viper switch traffic control plan

NIPSCO DA Pole communicating to a tower