Infrastructure News Summary
For May 21, 2008
PROPOSED FORT WAYNE ROAD PROJECTS FOR 2008
WANE-TV
5/20/08
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - Fort Wayne officials have unveiled a new list of road construction plans. The city puts this list out every year, but it's coming a little later than normal. That's because officials wanted to see how the new property tax legislation would affect the budget. Bob Kennedy, Director of Public Works says the budget is clear for 2008, "it's not going to impact the city. We were able to do the same amount of projects this year. Three of the major jobs for the city are widening and capacity projects. Those include the intersection of Taylor Rd. and Ardmore Ave., Anthony Blvd. between Fairfax Ave. and Capitol St. A future bid for the city is work at the Butler and Hillegas intersection. All of these projects should wrap up by late summer or early fall of next year. But City Engineer, David Ross says the work doesn't stop there, "We've got a lot of neighborhood projects going on, resurfacing of streets, concrete repair. http://www.wane.com/Global/story.asp?S=8353466
RESURFACING BEGINS THURSDAY ALONG U.S. 27 NORTH
Palladium-Item
5/20/08
WINCHESTER, Ind. - Construction work begins Thursday on a $1.8 million U.S. 27 resurfacing project between U.S. 36 in Lynn and County Road 300 North, just north of Winchester in Randolph County. Construction crews from L.I.C.A. Construction are scheduled to build new turn lanes at the Greenville Pike intersection. Work is also being done on ramps from U.S. 27 onto Indiana 32. http://www.pal-item.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080520/UPDATES/80520016
STATE LINE ROAD CLOSING FOR BRIDGE WORK
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
5/20/08
State Line Road is to close a half-mile south of U.S. 24 for bridge work from
May 27 through late fall, the Indiana Department of Transportation said today.
Crews will be moving dirt for bridge construction over the new alignment of U.S.
24, the transportation department said in a statement. The detour uses Maumee
Center Road, Tile Mill Road, Indiana 101 and U.S. 24, and adds about 5 1/4 miles
for through traffic, the statement said. http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080520/LOCAL/153465190/1002/LOCAL
I-69 ACTIVIST TALKS ON A.M. EVANSVILLE
WTVW
5/20/08
Members of a loosely affiliated group of protesters are supporting two
anti-I-69 activists who have camped in the treetops along Indiana 68 in Gibson
County, directly in the path of the first phase of the Interstate extension
project. A supporter who identified herself simply as Tiga said, "The
people in the trees will stay there as long as it takes." Supporters of the
protest say I-69, which will is designed to connect Canada and Mexico, will
drain US jobs. Their biggest contention with the project is the loss of private
property. Harriet Ray, who is one of the two tree sit protesters, hopes their
act of civil disobedience will inspire property owners along the rest of the
route to resist construction. A representative of the paving contractor that won
the bid to build the first 1.77 miles of the road said there is no announced
starting date for the construction, and the tree sit protesters may have to wait
a long time for a confrontation with their crews. State Police say the
protesters could be charged with trespassing, because INDOT owns the land.
Instead, police decided to let them stay put for the time being, because they
weren't causing any problems.
http://tristatehomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=6842
U.S. 41 CUT TO 2 LANES UNTIL JULY 2009
$5.9M PROJECT AT I-70 TO BEGIN IN ABOUT A WEEK
The Tribune-Star
Sue Loughlin
TERRE HAUTE - An interchange improvement project at Interstate 70 and U.S. 41 is about to get under way. The project will add dual left turn lanes on U.S. 41 for eastbound and westbound traffic onto I-70, and the on-ramps will be widened. Sidewalks will be added along the west side of the interchange. The project will slightly lower U.S. 41 as it goes under I-70 to provide better clearance for trucks. The interchange modernization project "will improve traffic flow at the interchange" and make it safer for motorists, said Debbie Calder, public information officer with the Indiana Department of Transportation Crawfordsville District. http://www.tribstar.com/news/local_story_141232248.html
MEETING TO OUTLINE NEW WORK ON IND. 37
The Indianapolis Star
5/21/08
Just as one round of construction wraps up on Ind. 37, south of I-465, state
transportation officials have begun planning for another. In a public meeting
Thursday, officials will discuss their plans to widen and replace deteriorating
pavement on Ind. 37 between the I-465 interchange and Thompson Road. The work
would tie in with similar improvements recently completed south of Thompson
Road. The work is scheduled to begin in 2010. http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080521/LOCAL18/805210449/1001/NEWS
LESSON OF THE BRIDGES: DON'T FORGET THE BASICS
TAX INCREASE WILL BE UNPLEASANT BUT MAY BE THE BEST OPTION LEFT.
News-Sentinel
5/21/08
The county has gotten itself into such a big bridge mess that an increase in the car surtax and wheel tax is the only realistic option. But it could be a whopping one - a surtax increase from $7.50 to $25 for cars and a wheel tax increase from $7.50 to $40 for larger vehicles - and taxpayers shouldn't just take it without complaint. This will be one to remember. The problem started in 2003, when the County Council eliminated the cumulative bridge fund, which allowed it to spend $728,000 a year on other things. Then county commissioners decided they didn't have the needed money to take care of all the county's bridges. Cities and towns would have to take responsibility for all the bridges of less than 200 feet within their jurisdictions. There are about 330 of them, needing about $31 million for repairs by 2016. http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080521/EDITORIAL/805210316
LINCOLN WAY SITE OF TWO PROJECTS IN MISHAWAKA
GOAL IS TO TEAR UP STREET JUST ONCE, CITY OFFICIALS SAY.
South Bend Tribune
Sue Lowe
5/21/08
MISHAWAKA -- City officials say they're trying to keep from tearing up part of Lincoln Way West twice this summer for two different projects. Gary West, engineering director for the city, said the Indiana Department of Transportation is paving and doing curb work on Indiana 933, which is Lincoln Way through Mishawaka, from Capital Avenue/Indiana 331 in Mishawaka to Sample Street in South Bend. That's why curbs are torn up on Lincoln Way East west of Capital Avenue. http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080521/News01/805210329/1130/Sports01