The Marshall County Commissioners and Plan Director Ty Adley presented recommendations on what type of connections Marshall County stakeholders would like to see concerning any updates to U.S. 30 and U.S. 31 in the next decade or two.
Brett Lackey from CDM Smith in Indianapolis is one of the companies gathering public comments and other components in a Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) studies on U.S. 30 and U.S. 31. Two representatives from the Indiana Department of Transportation were also in attendance.
Lackey said the PEL study process will continue through September 2024.
Lackey stated, “You can think of the PEL study as having – at least this PEL study – as having four phases. We’re kind of in the transition period between the first and the second phase right now. The first phase you can think of as visioning and data collection. The second phase being purpose and need development, and then the third phase will be alternatives analysis. The fourth and final phase will be the recommendations that come from the PEL.”
Public comment can be submitted all through the process and more public information meetings will be held soon.
Adley explained to those in attendance that Marshall County U.S. 30 and Marshall County U.S. 31 Study Committees were formed in the fall of 2022 by the commissioners and those committees have over 30 organizations represented with 58 representatives. They were established as a result of PEL studies being conducted by the Indiana Department of Transportation in these corridors.
Adley said the committees reviewed comprehensive plans, prior studies, crash data, and development alternatives with options for each intersection along the corridors.
The committee came up with proposed interchanges on U.S. 30 at 9A and King Road, Oak Road, West Plymouth (Pioneer), Union Road, and Fir Road. On U.S. 31, the committee came up with proposed interchanges at 13th /Michigan Road, Lincoln Highway, 9A/Jefferson Road, 11th Road, and 12B Road.
Adley noted that these interchanges allow travelers access to other important roadways in order to travel with ease throughout the county and to travel to other areas in Northern Indiana.
It was noted that the Marshall County Commissioners approved the recommendation from the local committees during their meeting earlier this month. The commissioners approved a motion Monday morning to give the recommendation packet to Lackey as an official part of his company’s study and to be considered during the data collection and public comment portion of the process.
Updates will be given to the commissioners as the study goes forward.
