Carmel Center of Roundabout Lawsuit: City Of Indianapolis Files Lawsuit Over 96th Street Project

CARMEL, IN — The construction conflict between Indianapolis and Carmel over 96th Street roundabout projects continues.

The City of Indianapolis filed a lawsuit this month in an attempt to prevent Carmel from constructing roundabouts on 96th Street, according to a report from the Indianapolis Star.

In the lawsuit, Indianapolis says Carmel is violating state law by planning to carry out the project within Indy city limits, as 96th Street borders the two cities.

The lawsuit also alleges Carmel did not enter into an agreement with the City of Indianapolis before moving forward with the roundabout plans, and also reads:

“Carmel’s violation of Indianapolis’s exclusive territorial jurisdiction is irreparably harming Indianapolis. In the words of the Indiana Court of Appeals, it would “impinge on the territorial jurisdiction of the municipality and render corporate boundaries meaningless.”

In a response to the allegations, the City of Carmel responded, saying they have been doing major improvements on 96th Street for years.

Nancy Heck, Director of Community Relations for the City of Carmel, issued this statement:
"We have previously, as a courtesy, entered into interlocal agreements for major improvements on 96th Street. However, when the Councilwoman from this district in Marion County refused to discuss it with us, or bring it to the City-County Council, the City of Carmel had no choice but to proceed. Every city in Indiana has an absolute obligation under Indiana state law to construct, reconstruct, operate, maintain, improve, police, plow, fill chuckholes and otherwise improve all of its roads on its southern boundary. Carmel has been doing this on 96th Street for 30 years."

Money for the projects are being paid through more than $250 in bonds approved in 2016 by the City Council.

Heck also commented on roundabout safety statistics:

"Roundabouts have been shown to increase capacity 30 to 50 percent. We have not been able to find any studies that show roundabouts are detrimental to business. While Indianapolis has shown a 30 percent increase in accidents with injury and a 16 percent increase in accidents resulting in a fatality between 2011 and 2016, Carmel has had a 65 percent reduction in accidents with injury throughout the city’s roadways since 1996 due to the addition of more than 100 roundabouts. Carmel has also seen an 80 percent reduction in accidents with injury and a 40 percent reduction in accidents where a roundabout replaced a traditional signaled intersection."

Carmel plans to carry out the roundabout projects this year and in 2018, which include Delagates Row, Hazel Dell, Gray Road, Keystone interchange, Priority Way, Haverstick and Randall Drive.

You can also follow this story on Indianapolis Patch.

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