INDOT taking initial steps in US 30 improvement project
The Indiana Department of Transportation recently announced a Planning and Environmental Linkage study for the U.S. corridor from east of Indiana 49 in Valparaiso to the Ohio state line.
The planning study, known as a PEL, will examine mobility, safety, economic development, lane use, environmental impacts and other factors, according to a release.
Stakeholders and the public will be asked to provide input early in the development of a menu of options to improve U.S. 30 that enhance safety and mobility and align with the economic and community development visions along the corridor.
INDOT will pay for the study, Cassy Bajek, public relations director for the agency’s Northwest District, said in an email.
“We’re developing a request for qualifications now to help determine what the potential costs of the PEL will be, but we do not have a number at this time,” she said.
INDOT also is conducting a PEL for U.S. 30 from Marshall
County to the Hamilton/Tipton county line, with the exception of the U.S. 31 corridor in Kokomo.
The state agency also will hire consulting engineering firms to assist in managing the PEL studies for both highway corridors. INDOT anticipates advertising these consulting opportunities in 2021 and bringing consultants on board and beginning both studies by early 2022.
“PELs are an in-depth multiyear process that will examine the long-term needs for both corridors in a comprehensive manner,”
Bajek said. “Engineering, economic and environmental concerns and priorities will be evaluated and public input will be a significant part of the process.”
INDOT is opting to use PELs now because a wider menu of options exists to address remaining concerns on the two highways due to lower traffic volumes.
“The studies will inform INDOT on what the most viable solutions are to resolve current concerns with both corridors so we can make a more informed decision about what projects to move forward with,” she said.
Those concerns include safety and mobility.
Some intersections have been identified for projects such as reduced conflict intersections and interchanges. Stakeholders on both corridors have expressed interest about how INDOT’s planned improvements would fit with community visions and economic development plans along the two highways.
The PELs, Bajek said, will allow community stakeholders more opportunity for input and examining both corridors from square one will allow for community and economic development plans to be considered as part of the long-term planning for both routes, align with safety and mobility.
“INDOT will continue to monitor safety at all intersections along both corridors while PELs are ongoing,” Bajek said. “If needed, INDOT will make safety-related changes (for lighting and signage) at intersections, if warranted, as these would not alter access or mobility.”