PRINCETON, IN (WFIE) -
There's exciting news for drivers in Princeton because the Brumfield Overpass passed inspection and is set to re-open Friday afternoon.
The east-west overpass has been closed for nearly three months for a deck replacement causing headaches for drivers as they waited for trains to pass.
Crews tell 14 News they still have some striping and lights to install Friday morning, but at 4:00 p.m. Friday, officials say drivers should expect to see the barricades gone.
If you've driven through Princeton, you've likely been stopped by one or two trains. 36 trains go through town on an average day. A situation made worse, when the Brumfield Overpass closed.
"It's hard to get across town, it takes a lot longer," said Princeton resident Aaron Douglas.
For Douglas, the closure of the overpass has meant getting stopped by several trains a night. It's more than an inconvenience for him. As a pizza delivery driver, and it means less money in his pocket.
"It makes me late, and I don't get tipped. It just sucks," Douglas said.
It also hasn't been ideal for the Princeton Fire Department. It's had to stage equipment on both sides of the tracks to be able to respond quickly to emergencies.
So far, fire officials say they haven't had any problems or any delays in response times, but having the overpass back open means a lot less work.
"We will be able to navigate freely with traffic so that will really be good," said Princeton Fire Chief Mike Pflug.
Friday's scheduled opening of the Brumfield Overpass is one day ahead of schedule.
Nobody we found could complain about that.
"I think about 4:01 tomorrow, you'll see a major influx of traffic on the Brumfield," Pflug said.
This is the first time since the 70's that the entire deck has been replaced on the overpass.
The project is also on budget. $900,000 of county funds were used for the repairs.
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