Downtown Fourth Street deterioration prompts repair debate, safety concerns

Chad Brian, owner of Huntingburg Grind Coffee and Tea, told the board of public works he suffered significant injuries after tripping on a loose paver on Fourth Street, spurring renewed pressure on city leaders to address a years-long maintenance problem. His account highlighted recurring safety risks for pedestrians and downtown customers, particularly older residents.

"I took a pretty bad fall yesterday. Just tripped on a loose paver walking from one business to another across the street," Brian told the board. He said he fell into a concrete planter box and sustained injuries to his leg, hip, shoulder and a finger that required stitches. "The corners of the boxes are pretty dangerous," he added, and warned, "I believe it’s a safety hazard at this point." Brian told officials the street has worsened during the three years he has operated his shop and urged the city to act to protect both patrons and downtown commerce. "I think it’s something we need to really look into as a city if we want to continue downtown growth," he said.

Mayor Neil Elkins told the board the city has completed extensive engineering work but stalled on construction because the council has not agreed on how to pay for repairs. "We’ve engineered the heck out of it. I was ready to move forward with entertaining bids, but I couldn’t get a motion on appropriation of funds," Elkins said. The city has roughly $140,000 available from Stellar, officials said, while an estimate received in August put the cost to recompact the entire street and reinforce intersections at about $425,000.

Board members discussed multiple options. The preferred approach from earlier engineering work would remove existing pavers, recompact the stone base and reset the brick pavers. Engineers reportedly told officials that recompaction could last up to 30 years, though in public meetings they would only guarantee seven years. Elkins pointed to a nearby example: "That was done almost 30 years ago. I’ve driven it, it’s in great shape," referring to Zionsville’s brick streets.

Alternatives include paving the travel lanes with asphalt and using concrete at intersections. Paving contractors, however, expressed reservations about installing pavers over concrete, saying such a configuration risks renewed cracking and movement. "These pavers weren’t designed to sit like that on those areas," one representative said.

Drainage complicates the choice. The current permeable pavers allow water to soak into the stone base rather than shunting all runoff to the central grated drain. Street Superintendent Jason Stamm noted a design intent that leaves some water bypassing the grate: "Some of it (water) doesn’t make it into that drain." Board members questioned whether the existing center drain could handle redirected surface flow if asphalt replaced permeable pavers.

City officials plan to seek updated cost estimates for asphalt options and return the issue to the board. "I think we need to get the business owners’ input on Fourth Street first. See what they want," Boardmember Dustin Schmett said, and the board agreed to involve downtown merchants before finalizing a plan.

The takeaway? Repairs are expensive and complex, mixing public safety, stormwater infrastructure and downtown character. Our two cents? If you walk downtown, watch your step and tell city officials whether you want long-term recompaction with historic pavers or a quicker asphalt fix that could change drainage and the look of Fourth Street.