The Merriman Road Project in Mooresville Indiana is a project to reconstruct and widen Merriman Road, replace a bridge, resurface Bethel Road, construct a cul‐ de‐sac, construct a shell building for future leasing, and install utilities in support of future development. The area is historically rural farmland. The need for these improvements stems from an economic development project to build a new manufacturing facility for a local, long time company located in the Town of Mooresville. This new facility will provide new jobs and revenue for the Mooresville community. Banning Engineering assisted the Town of Mooresville on several different stages of this important project. Early planning, annexation, design, easements, right of way acquisition, construction administration, and observation
Construction observation played a vital role in managing this project for the Town of Mooresville and the Redevelopment Commission. Through observation, Banning Engineering was able to provide a boots on the ground approach to managing this very important economic project. The observation team kept in constant contact with the contractors, tracking progress, deadlines, material quantities, and schedules. We were able to update the project owners on work completed and work yet to be completed at any given time. We reviewed pay applications to guarantee the owners did not pay for work yet to be completed and made sure the contractors were paid in a fair and timely manner. We coordinated with utilities such as gas, phone, water, and electric to resolve conflicts in utility location and relocation.
Yet, our most important role, and often the role observation plays that is overlooked, was our involvement with the local homeowners and businesses. The observation team takes a face‐to‐face approach with those directly impacted by any development. We are onsite and able to listen and react to concerns from property owners who have their day to day lives and business impacted during times of construction. We made sure local access to homes and businesses was always maintained, kept those same folks up to date on the schedule, and notified on how long they would be impacted. We strive to listen to and address problems as quickly as possible, while allowing the contractor to complete the needed work. Using this approach, our team at Banning was able to resolve issues the Town was having in obtaining the necessary easements and right‐of‐way to finish this project on behalf of our client.
Although the physical construction work on Merriman Road is completed, Banning Engineering continues building our relationships by continuing to work on the project. We are still involved in the future site design and getting utilities such as water and sewer to this previously rural area. Our face‐to‐face approach, and the trust our staff has built in the local community is a great advantage to those we serve.