The Lebanon City Council took a first step toward an estimated $30 million, or more, project to improve County Road 300 North last week, but the city won’t foot the bill.
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) will pay for the project as part of local road improvements to encourage and aid development of the LEAP Lebanon Research and Innovation District.
The IEDC is developing LEAP Lebanon on about 10,000 acres in northwestern Boone County and contiguous to Lebanon. Eli Lilly and Co.’s $3.7 billion pharmaceutical plant under construction along Witt Road, north of C.R. 300 N., is the anchor tenant. The IEDC is already improving roads around the Lilly site for about $15 million.
C.R. 300 will become a four-lane boulevard stretching from Ind. 39 to a roundabout at Witt Road, Lebanon City Engineer Kevin Krulik told the council. The CSX Railroad Crossing on C.R. 300, a main route from rural areas to Witham Hospital, will be transformed to improve safety and utility.
The project is scheduled to begin in 2029. Many variables are at play, but if they align and the state wishes, it could be fast tracked, Krulik said.
Work will occur in two phases, the first of which will cost about $15.5 million. The city council pledged $7.8 million in local money for the phase one in a federal grant application this week but won’t have to pay it.
The IEDC will pay for the local match, Krulik said.
Phase one includes the two northern lanes and roundabout. Once finished, those two lanes will carry eastbound and westbound traffic with the two southbound lanes built during phase two. The city will apply for a grant for phase two at this time next year. Krulik estimated the total cost for both phases will likely top $30 million.
As part of another project, Witt Road will get another roundabout a quarter mile north at the C.R. 325 axis. The Indiana Department of Transportation will build that as an access point to a new Interstate 65/U.S. 52 interchange.
ANOTHER ANNEXATION
The council also took under advisement the first reading of ordinances that would annex another 37 acres into LEAP Lebanon. The annexation would be super voluntary, meaning the property owners are requesting it.
The city last year annexed 7,300 acres at the request of property owners working with the IEDC.
One of the eight parcels under consideration will fill in gaps in the district and fall into a planned unit development designated for it. The remaining parcel is just north of the Lilly site and will be used as a staging area for area road improvements but is not expected to become part of LEAP Lebanon, an IEDC spokeswoman told the council.
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