The Hancock County Engineer’s Office says a stretch of County Road 9 next to Liberty Benton High School and the new elementary/middle school that’s being constructed will be closing for a widening project.

The widening project will begin on Tuesday, July 5th and last until August 24th.

Liberty-Benton Local Schools Superintendent Mark Kowalski says this widening project is very important as their campus grows.

The engineer’s office says County Road 9 will be closed from State Route 12 to Early Drive.

The south entrance to Liberty – Dold Subdivision will be maintained for local traffic for as long as possible for local residents while construction is ongoing and will have periodic closures.

The detour for the area will be State Route 12 and County Road 313.

The Hancock County Engineer’s Office says County Road 9 is being widened to help in handling the increased traffic that will be created by the new K-8 building as well as other events on the school campus.

“We recognize this closure will be a temporary inconvenience for some,” said Hancock County Engineer Doug Cade.

“However it is necessary to complete the project in the limited timeframe while the school is not in session and make a long-term improvement to the area.”

In April, Liberty-Benton Local Schools held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open its new Eagle Fieldhouse. Get more on that by clicking here. 

The new elementary/middle school is expected to be ready to go for the beginning of the 2023-24 school year.