Bridge Wrecked, River On The Verge Of Vanishing Into Quarry

Bridge Wrecked, River On The Verge Of Vanishing Into Quarry - Page 2

And Carmel's "Two Years" Fix Timeline Isn't Flying With Tony Katz

Bridge collapse in Carmel has reversed creek flow, risking White River diversion into quarry.
Flooding threatens to rupture sewage lines, potentially polluting waterways.
Widespread infrastructure damage across central Indiana could cost over $1 billion to repair.

A rushing river flows through a steep ravine, with a damaged bridge or structure partially collapsed into the water. — Source: Fox 59 / (WXIN/WTTV) Fox 59/CBS 4

Bridge Wrecked, River On The Verge Of Vanishing Into Quarry

Tony Katz isn’t buying a two-year timeline for anything. “Allow me to say, for the record, no, you have four months,” Katz said flatly on WIBC — and he wasn’t budging, even before officials could roll out their list of reasons why it can’t be done. “My four months might be a no, but your two years is an absolute no. No, no, no, not gonna, not having that.”

The fight is over Hazel Dell, a major thoroughfare in Carmel now severed after flooding tore apart the bridge crossing Bridgewater Creek. According to reporting from Anne Marie Shambaugh from YouAreCurrent.com, the creek’s flow has been reversed by the flood damage and redirected into the Martin Marietta quarry — with officials putting the odds at 75% that the situation worsens to the point the creek connects with the White River itself, sending the entire river into the quarry.

Translation: this isn’t just a pothole problem. It’s a thoroughfare serving drivers coming from the north and from 96th Street, and because the bridge sits on the line between city and county jurisdiction, fixing it means Carmel and Hamilton County have to actually get on the same page — never a guarantee when government is involved.

There’s also a sewage risk. Erosion near a water treatment plant could rupture sewer lines, potentially sending sewage into the White River. Katz cracked wise about it — “it’s Carmel sewage, it’s mostly organic” — but was quick to walk the joke back. “I’m proud of it, but it’s making light of what is a very, very serious situation,” he said. Drinking water wouldn’t be affected, but plenty else could be.

Katz isn’t just worried about Carmel. He’s watching Noblesville, Anderson, Cambridge City and Newcastle, along with Indianapolis’s Broad Ripple, Ravenswood and Rocky Ripple neighborhoods — areas he says could see damage rivaling or exceeding what’s already hit Carmel and Noblesville once the water recedes.

As for the final price tag on all this flood damage across central Indiana? Katz has a number in mind already. “I assume it’s going to have a B after it,” he said. “This is going to be in the billion-dollar range. That’s my take. Yours may be different.”