Infrastructure News Summary
For November 19, 2007
CEREMONY SET FOR HIGHWAY
Evansville Courier & Press
11-19-07
A ribbon-cutting ceremony for a section of highway named for former Indiana Gov. Frank O'Bannon will take place Wednesday in Perry County. Members of the O'Bannon family will be joined by officials from the Indiana Department of Transportation and Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman for the ceremony, scheduled for 11 a.m. It will take place at Exit 79 on the north side of the Interstate 64-Indiana 37 interchange. The ceremony marks the opening of a new section of Indiana 37 between Indiana 64 and I-64 through Perry and Crawford counties. The state road is named the Frank O'Bannon Highway. http://www.courierpress.com/news/2007/nov/19/ceremony-set-for-highway/
BRIDGE LIGHT TURNS GREEN
Evansville Courier & Press
11-18-07
Motorists traveling from Evansville to Henderson, Ky., today across the southbound U.S. 41 twin bridge will notice a change - the speed limit is back to 55 mph instead of the 35 mph it has been for the past several months. Motorists will get about a three- to four-month break from dealing with lane restrictions and slowed crossings until painting of the structure resumes with warmer weather, probably in early March. Transportation Cabinet District Two public information officer Keith Todd said painting on the structure was completed for the season on Saturday - ahead of schedule. http://www.courierpress.com/news/2007/nov/18/bridge-lightturns-green/ Also see: http://www.courierpress.com/news/2007/nov/17/bridge-back-55-mph/
I-70 AT INDY NOW FULLY REOPENED
Bloomington Herald-Times
11-18-07
Indianapolis - All lanes and entrance ramps of I-70 are fully reopened
through Indianapolis' east side following a $175 million reconstruction project.
Indiana's busiest stretch of highway reopened about 1:30 a.m. Friday. It's been
undergoing major repairs since February, with traffic restricted, heavy trucks
banned and most ramps closed. INDOT says minor work such as bridge beam painting
will continue through mid-2008. And officials say there may be single lane
closures during off-peak hours. The project, dubbed "Super 70,"
includes I-70 from the eastern leg of Interstate 465 to downtown Indianapolis.
It's the first major reconstruction on the road since it was built nearly 40
years ago.
For more information, please contact Triad: 1-800-288-7423.
HOOSIER HEARTLAND HEADED YOUR WAY
Journal and Courier
Dan Shaw
11-16-07
Debbie Calder, a spokeswoman with INDOT, said the state sent about 90 notices last week to property owners in Tippecanoe County. The notices inform landowners of the state's plan to buy their land to build the final leg of the Hoosier Heartland Highway. The new road will replace Indiana 25 as the main route between Lafayette and Logansport and connect to an existing section of the Hoosier Heartland, which runs between Logansport and Fort Wayne. All totaled, the state will need to buy more than 300 pieces of land for the project, Calder said. State plans call for the construction of the road's final section -- stretching for 35 miles and costing from $400 million to $500 million -- to begin in 2010 and proceed from west to east. Karl Browning, INDOT commissioner, has said the state may advance work on certain parts of the road -- bridges or overpasses -- if it can buy other properties quickly. Mark Davis, a lobbyist for the Hoosier Heartland Industrial Corridor Inc., a group that pushes for the highway to be built, said he is optimistic that the state will be able to quickly buy land for the Hoosier Heartland Highway. "This is going to be a bit of a relief to people who have been in limbo longer than I ever dreamed would happen," Davis said. State officials have long said the main purpose behind building the last part of the Hoosier Heartland Highway is to draw traffic away from Indiana 25, which many consider dangerous. From 2001 to 2005, there were 213 crashes resulting in injury or death on rural parts of Indiana 25 between Lafayette and Logansport. http://www.jconline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007711160339
STATE GETS $20M TO EXPAND TRAILS
Indianapolis Star
Cordell Eddings
11-19-07
Indiana is getting a big boost toward developing walking trails within reach of all Hoosiers, thanks to more than $20 million in federal beautification grants. Six Indianapolis-area projects will receive nearly $5.5 million for various projects, including an extension of the Monon Trail and a new trail in Beech Grove. The money comes from transportation enhancement funds awarded by the Federal Highway Administration to the Indiana Department of Transportation for projects including multi-use trails, streetscape improvements and historic bridge rehabilitations. INDOT spokesman Andy Dietrick said the funds are intended to go beyond traditional infrastructure development that local municipalities can't always afford. "We build roads, and we will generally build roads that are pretty utilitarian. These are some cases where the community wants to dress them up a little bit," said Dietrick. "The funding will take existing infrastructure, enhance it and make it more available to a lot more people. This may be the only funding available for some municipalities for this." http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071119/LOCAL18/711190383/1006/LOCAL
HAZEL DELL ROAD SHOULD REOPEN DEC. 4
Indianapolis Star
11-19-07
Noblesville - Hazel Dell Road, closed from Ind. 32 to 146th Street since
September, should open to through traffic Dec. 4, according to John Beery, city
engineer. In a $12.2 million project, Hazel Dell Road is being widened from two
lanes to four from Ind. 32 to Midland Lane. Four lanes have been completed from
161st to 156th streets, and a roundabout has been installed at 161st. Crews are
now working on the area from 156th Street to Midland Lane. The project should be
finished by November 2008, and Beery said the only closures after Dec. 4 will be
for one or two days at a time for storm sewer work.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071119/LOCAL/711190352/1006/LOCAL
REPAIR WORK STARTED ON CLOSED NEW HARMONY BRIDGE
Indianapolis Star
11-17-07
Crews have started repair work on a closed Wabash River bridge at the southwestern Indiana town of New Harmony. Officials closed the privately run toll bridge Sept. 25 after a crack was found in one of its five concrete support piers. The commission that oversees the 77-year-old bridge expects it will reopen by the end of the year. Bridge commission member Mike Egbert says crews will fill the crack and build a new pier to relieve weight from the pier that cracked. The bridge closing has forced drivers to travel onto I-64 to use its bridge about five miles to the north. http://www2.indystar.com/articles/9/253438-5489-127.html
SMOOTH CRUISE: ALL SUPER 70 LANES, RAMPS OPEN
Indianapolis Star
Vic Ryckaert
11-17-07
It should be a smooth cruise for Eastside commuters nowadays. Early Friday morning, major construction ended on the $175 million Super 70 project. All lanes and ramps on I-70 opened after work was completed at 1:30 a.m., INDOT announced. Minor work - including bridge beam painting, erosion control, grading and electrical work - will continue through mid-2008. Officials warn there may be single lane closures during off-peak hours. http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071117/LOCAL/311170006/-1/ARCHIVE
DESIGN STUDY COMING ON VALPARAISO STREET
Gary Post-Tribune
James D. Wolf, Jr.
11-17-07
Valparaiso - Work on Valparaiso Street should begin Dec. 1 if the schedule goes as the contractor plans. City officials approved and signed final paperwork for the project, City Engineer David Pilz said. However, the initial work to reconstruct Valparaiso from Evans Street to Herta Street wouldn't be tearing up the street, he added. The agreements approved Nov. 8 were for HNTB of Indianapolis for a consulting engineer with an hourly rate contract that would reach about $18,000. http://www.post-trib.com/news/655190,vvalparaiso.article
$100,000 TO REPAIR SIDEWALKS
Gary Post-Tribune
Gitte Laasby
11-17-07
Valparaiso - Students will have a safer way to get to Parkview Elementary School in a year or two. The city has received $100,000 in federal funding for installation of 5,000 feet of sidewalk from the school and Blaylocks subdivision to parks, transit routes and a pathway. The city will match the money with $60,000 of its own. The federal grant, announced by INDOT on Tuesday, also marks a change in focus for city officials. They have worked on road improvements and want to focus more on neighborhood issues and providing missing sidewalk links, City Administrator Bill Hanna said. http://www.post-trib.com/news/655193,vsidewalks.article
SOUTH SHORE COMMUTER RAIL - OR FRIGHT TRAIN RIDE
NWI Times
Phil Wieland
11-17-07
Columnist Phil Wieland writes: "I wrote recently about the dog and power
point pony show the Northwest Indiana Forum is performing to promote the plan to
expand South Shore service to Valparaiso and Lowell. Valpo's Council liked the
show, but the Porter and Cedar Lake councils would have given a warmer welcome
to West Nile mosquitoes. … The cost is a toughie. Some aren't impressed that
the South Shore's riders bring home paychecks totaling about $250 million a
year, which Porter apparently thinks is all spent in their town, or that our
taxes paid for more than $350 million over the last 20 years or so to improve
the Borman Expressway alone. These people shut off the logic button when you
mention mass transit. To them, subsidizing transportation only applies to
building roads on which they can drive their gas-guzzling SUV. Hope they still
enjoy that ride when gas is $1 billion a gallon."
http://www.nwi.com/articles/2007/11/19/columnists/phil_wieland/docbfaeb11940d6af7886257396000a2215.txt