If you’re planning a cruise of scenic State Road 135, you’d better be prepared to take the back roads.

Seven bridges in Morgan, Brown and Jackson counties on State Road 135 will be closed this year for major work or reconstruction, starting as early as April 7.

The Indiana Department of Transportation did not immediately have start or end dates to report on any of the closures.

Brown County Highway Superintendent Mike Magner said March 22 he also didn’t have information on what the local detours will be yet.

Three different contractors have been hired to do the following jobs. Together, they total more than $3.4 million.

Morgan County

• Work on State Road 135 over Bear Creek, 1.26 miles south of State Road 252, will require closing State Road 135 for up to 45 days. The 60-foot concrete arch bridge will get new rails, walls and a deck.
• Work on 135 over a branch of Bear Creek, south of Morgantown at Farm Road, will require closing the highway for up to 30 days while crews remove the existing drainage structure and install a four-sided concrete box culvert. To maintain residential access, Farm Road’s junction with 135 will be moved to just south of the culvert site.

Brown County

• State Road 135 over Little Beanblossom Creek, 1.7 miles north of State Road 45, will be closed for up to 75 days. The bridge over the creek will get new railings, walls and a bridge deck.State Road 135 over Moser Branch, 1.57 miles north of State Road 45 near Railroad Road, will be closed for up to 60 days. The contract calls for new rails and a deck on the 36-foot arch bridge.
• State Road 135 over Hamilton Creek, 9.45 miles north of State Road 58, will be closed for up to 60 days. The 92-foot-long bridge will receive a new deck overlay. The official detour will route traffic to State Road 46, Interstate 65 and State Road 58.
• State Road 135 over a branch of Hamilton Creek, 7.6 miles north of State Road 58 east of Christianburg Road, will be closed for up to 30 days to replace a culvert. Work is scheduled to begin in early April.

Jackson County

• State Road 135 over a branch of the south fork of Salt Creek will be closed for up to 30 days. The site is 5.2 miles north of U.S. 50 and south of S.R. 500 North near Freetown. A new concrete box culvert will be put in place. Work is expected to begin in mid-May.

Another bridge replacement on State Road 58 in Jackson County will route some traffic onto State Road 135. A 62-foot-long steel I-beam bridge on State Road 58 over a branch of Bee Creek, 3 miles west of State Road 135, will require closing State Road 58 for up to 150 days. The official detour takes drivers to State Road 446, U.S. 50 and State Road 135.

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Paving work will also take place on several Brown County and Nashville roads this summer. Schedules for that work have not been finalized yet.

Additionally, parts of Yellowwood Road will be closed starting March 27 when INDOT plans to start replacing 12 drainage pipes or small structures between State Road 46 and State Road 45 on Yellowwood Road or Yellowwood Lake Road. Six are south of the bridge over Salt Creek and six are north of the bridge, reported INDOT’s Harry Maginity.

The detour to avoid for the work happening south of the bridge uses Dubois Ridge Road and Jackson Creek Road.

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