In Shipshewana, Indiana, Burgess and Niple (B&N) developed long-term, cost-saving, innovative solutions to the roadway settlement, flooding and rutting caused by Amish horses and buggies in a major tourism thoroughfare. Working with the Indiana Department of Transportation, the B&N team led the design of a 2.5-mile roadway rehabilitation on SR 5, roadway reconstruction in the Page Ditch marsh and a bridge over Page Ditch.
Project Challenges
There were several challenges this project presented. Shipshewana and the surrounding areas have a large Amish community; along SR 5, horse and buggy traffic heavily rutted the existing pavement. In the Page Ditch marsh, consistent flooding has caused a 4-inch roadway settlement on SR 5 every year. When the ditch floods, water consumes the road, overtop and underneath, slowly eroding the subgrade material.
In addition, due to the high volume of automobile traffic from tourists and buggy traffic on SR 5, maintenance of traffic and public outreach posed significant challenges to the project.