WHITESTOWN, Ind. — Whitestown is one of central Indiana's fastest growing areas, and some residents are frustrated about a recent lane change at a busy intersection causing headaches.
"It's getting a lot of traction because there's a lot of frustration over the overpass," said Curtis Peterson.
Peterson is talking about the overpass on Whitestown Parkway over Interstate 65.
Peterson and Jason Winterbottom live on the west side of the interstate.
"We depend on that bridge to commute to schools, all the retail, entertainment, are all on that side, and the growth on this side is significant," Winterbottom said.
Winterbottom looks at data for a living and said this recent lane change doesn't add up.
Right now, drivers using the roundabout are reduced to one lane over the overpass, with a truck stop nearby.
"It's going to back up way back and there's going to be a lot of frustrated drivers. That leads to short tempers, and that leads to bad things happening and we don't want that," Peterson said.
The two said drivers compete with those getting onto I-65.
"Merge left in a very short period of time and then have to merge right again and then have to merge right again to go back straight across the bridge," Winterbottom said.
"This is the fastest growing area in Indiana, I believe. It has significant growth on both sides of the highway. Right now, it seems like all of the solutions that they have are focused on traffic getting on and off the highway, not the local residents that are directly impacted by this every single day," Peterson said.
They argue it's not marked clearly, opening a case to express their concerns.
"Ideally, I would like to see more transparency from INDOT," Peterson said.
INDOT told 13News the change is to help with congestion in this roundabout after looking at traffic volume at different times of the day and year.
"I'm from the area. I travel there often. It is different than what we've seen before, but it's all in the name of safety," said Megan DeLucenay, INDOT spokesperson.
INDOT and the town of Whitestown will continue to monitor these changes.
"We're always willing to hear what you have to say because in the end, you live here, you know the ins and outs of your community, and we want to work with you," DeLucenay said.
Neighbors are hoping for a bridge expansion or replacement.
"The biggest fear I have overall is that the new traffic pattern is going to lead to accidents or tragedies that we can avoid," Peterson said.
For now, they're just looking for a clear path to a long-term solution to support Whitestown's growth.
For questions or comments about state projects, INDOT has 24/7 customer call center that it monitors. It also posts about future projects online.