Goshen News, Goshen, IN

November 17, 2009

Plans hit road block

By JESSE DAVIS

Because of lower-than-expected gas tax revenue, the Indiana Department of Transportation has delayed the controversial U.S. 33 project through downtown Goshen for one year.

Still in the pre-engineering/design phase, the project’s goal is to relieve congestion and lower the frequency of crashes between downtown Goshen and the developing industrial and commercial area in the southeast portion of the county by increasing road capacity and safety, according to information distributed by INDOT at an open house regarding the project in May.

“We are trying to keep the projects consistent with state revenues,” INDOT Communications Director Toni Mayo said. “So some of our projects have been pushed farther out because we have less gas tax (revenue) and less interest off dollars from the toll road.”

An Ind. 13 project between U.S. 20 and the Michigan state line as well as an Ind. 5 project between U.S. 20 and Ind. 120 have also been put off indefinitely.

“We’re pretty optimistic that when the economic situation has changed, we can revamp those projects and pull them back in,” Mayo said.

As for the U.S. 33 project, the additional wait could help involved parties sort out its future. A final determination has yet to be made as to which path the road will take.

During the May open house, INDOT officials described and discussed the four options for the road’s eventual route, including a basic widening, splitting the road into two one-way streets along Madison and Jefferson Streets and two paths that would take the road along the railroad tracks.

“(The delay) gives us more time to determine how the state, the city and residents want to look at it and gives us more time to evaluate the decision,” Goshen Civil City Engineer Mary Cripe said.

Another hearing on the possible alignments had been planned for some point during the beginning of next year, but will now not likely occur until as late as 2013, according to Mayo. Normally, she said, the final hearing is held about two years before construction is planned to begin. The U.S. 33 project is hoped to be at the construction phase in 2015.

Before the delay, the project was planned to begin the first phase of construction in 2012, with the second in 2013 and the third and final phase in 2014.

The options

There are currently four options being considering when it comes to improvements to U.S. 33 South through Goshen southeast from Main Street:

* The first option leaves its path unchanged, but widens the road as it travels along Madison Street between Ind. 15 and Goshen High School.

* The second option uses Madison Street as a one-way route traveling east to the high school and Jefferson Street as a one-way route traveling west from the high school back to Ind. 15.

* In the third option, which would be constructed at-grade, U.S. 33 would continue along Pike Street, following along the railroad tracks before turning south along Seventh Street, east along Washington Street back to the tracks, and then curves slightly south at 11th Street through Goshen High School’s baseball diamond and reconnecting with the current route at the south end of the school.

* The fourth option would follow the tracks from Pike Street to 11th Street, curving south and connecting in the same route as the third option, with bridges over Cottage Avenue, Ind. 4 and the railroad at Ninth Street.