Infrastructure News Summary
For November 02, 2007

BROWNSBURG WARY OF PLAN FOR TAX DISTRICT
Indianapolis Star
Josh Duke
11-02-07

Brownsburg officials believe a funding option being considered by Hendricks County officials to complete a major north-south corridor will cripple efforts to increase their community's future tax base. At a special meeting Thursday, Brownsburg town, school and emergency officials discussed a potential tax-increment financing district under consideration by the county to finish the Ronald Reagan Parkway from I-70 to the county line north of Brownsburg. Brownsburg officials will send a letter to county leaders asking for a 90-day delay to consider other funding options. A financing district takes tax dollars within a designated area and sets them aside for infrastructure such as roads and sewers in that area. Brownsburg officials believe such a district will take away a future industrial tax base vital to their community's future, especially around the new I-74 interchange under construction. http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071102/LOCAL/711020484/1020/LOCAL05

AVON INTERSECTION TO CLOSE SATURDAY
Indianapolis Star
Josh Duke
11-01-07

Road crews plan to close Dan Jones Road at County Road 100 South in Avon Saturday to finish paving of a two-lane roundabout. The intersection has had limited use since it opened as a roundabout last month. Only the outer lane was open as crews continued work on the inner portion of the circular intersection. The Dan Jones roundabout is the second major roundabout to open in Hendricks County this year. The county finished a single-lane roundabout at Raceway Road and County Road 100 South in August. Future roundabouts are planned by the county, Avon and Plainfield. http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071101/LOCAL/711010551/1132/LOCAL0502

EJ&E SALE'S BENEFITS WILL COME AT COST
Gary Post-Tribune
Erik Potter
11-02-07

The proposed sale of the EJ&E railroad to Canadian National could offer a mixed bag to Northwest Indiana. The consolidation will mean millions of dollars of investment in the region, as CN looks to eventually triple rail traffic through Gary's Kirk Yard and upgrade existing track, according to documents CN filed with the federal Surface Transportation Board on Tuesday. But the added traffic would come at a cost, including a dramatic increase in hazardous material transportation through the area, increased congestion and air pollution, and job losses. http://www.post-trib.com/news/632266,rail.article

NO QUICK SOLUTION FOR Y TRAFFIC CONCERNS
NWI Times
Joyce Russell
11-02-07

Portage - There is no short-term solution to deal with increased traffic congestion at the entrance of the Portage Township YMCA on Willowcreek Road. In the long term, said officials of both the city and the YMCA at Thursday's Traffic Commission meeting, they hope to see someone develop the property to the south of the YMCA and allow extension of Robbins Road for safer access to the Y's parking lot. But for now, drivers in the area are asked to use extra caution. Director of Public Works Craig Hendrix said the problem will be solved when a developer purchases that property and extends Robbins Road to the west of Willowcreek Road. However, he added, the city is not in the position to purchase the property and construct the road extension. http://www.nwitimes.com/articles/2007/11/02/news/porter_county/doc0f8cb87106f944cd8625738700002b01.txt

CONSTRUCTION WORK RESTRICTS TRAFFIC, LOWERS PROFITS
Warrick Publishing
Nathan Blackford
11-02-07

It has been more than two weeks since the start of construction on State Road 62 in Boonville, and - to virtually no one's surprise - traffic has been snarled in all directions. The roadway will be widened from three lanes to four, with a new traffic signal and new signage. It is a part of an overall project that will widen SR 62 all the way from Boonville to Evansville. But the current construction, with a distance of just over a third of a mile, is considered by INDOT to be one of the most complex sections of the construction. "It is very difficult to construct a roadway in a metropolitan area," said INDOT Vincennes District Spokesperson Cher Goodwin. "You have so many factors, and of course safety is the first thing you have to think about. And you always have to come back and tweak the plan, to make sure we are impacting businesses as little as possible." At least some of the businesses along the highway are feeling effects from the construction. Funding for the construction project is through Governor Mitch Daniels' "Major Moves" transportation program. When Major Moves is complete in 2015, more than 200 new construction and 200 major highway preservation projects will have been built. The timing for the rest of the SR 62 project was bumped up by two years, meaning the entire roadway should be finished sometime in 2010. The current work in Boonville should be complete next year. Other "Major Moves" projects in Warrick County will include Phase II of the State Road 66 widening project in 2008, Phase III of that same widening project in 2009, a State Road 261 widening project near Castle High School in 2012, and the State Road 61 connector (Boonville Bypass) project in 2013.
http://www.tristate-media.com/articles/2007/11/02/warricknews/news/03traffic.txt

AUBURN ROAD BRIDGE OPENS A WEEK EARLY
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
11-02-07

Drivers who wish to travel on Auburn Road have a new bridge to drive on, now that INDOT has completed rebuilding it. The project began in July and ended a week earlier than projected, according to INDOT. The bridge over I-69 was demolished during the summer to make way for a new bridge that was needed because of the I-69 widening project. http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071102/LOCAL/71102019/1002/LOCAL