J-turn intersections will not be coming to U.S. 31 in the near future. The Indiana Department of Transportation has decided not to install J-turns at State Roads 10 and 110 in Marshall County, as well as four other intersections in Cass and Miami counties. State Representative Bill Friend and State Senator Randy Head made the announcement in a statement Tuesday.
Officials Cut Ribbon on New INDOT Sub District Facility in Plymouth
Officials cut the ribbon on INDOT’s new Plymouth Sub District facility at 2845 Jack Greenlee Drive located north of U.S. 30 off of Pioneer Drive.
INDOT Commissioner Joe McGuiness from Indianapolis said the former facility off of old U.S. 31 served this part of the district for a number of years.
“Our original facility in Plymouth here served us well for almost 40 years, but it certainly doesn’t have the modern features and amenities that we all desire in today’s workplace,” said Commissioner McGuiness. “This facility is truly state of the art. It has a new main building, the salt building, a full-service garage and eight maintenance bays. It’s 40,000 square feet. The salt building holds about 7,300 tons of salt and about 10,000 gallons of brine.” Continue reading
You’re Invited to the Ribbon Cutting for the New INDOT Sub-District Facility
This Tuesday, community members are invited to attend the ribbon-cutting event for the new INDOT Sub-district facility in Plymouth. The event will commence at 11 a.m.
A ground-breaking ceremony was held for this facility back in August of 2016. The original structure dated back to 1978 and was no longer able to meet modern needs.
Shortly after the ribbon cutting ceremony, Plymouth Mayor Mark Senter will dedicate the road serving the new facility as Jack Greenlee Drive, in honor of a former city councilman and mayor. Jack Greenlee served as a city councilman for many years and served as Mayor of Plymouth for two terms from January of 1992 through December of 1999. Mayor Greenlee passed away in March of 2015. Senter will dub this road with his name as a way to honor his service to the community and commemorate his memory. Continue reading
INDOT Contracts Ready for Community Crossings Projects
The INDOT contracts for projects awarded 2018 Community Crossing grant money were presented to the Marshall County Commissioners for signature Monday morning.
Highway Administrator Laurie Baker said after the contracts are signed the county can begin the process of receiving the grant money totaling $518,322.87. The county’s match is $129,580.72. Continue reading
INDOT Engineering Scholarship Offers Financial Assistance and Job Opportunities
The Indiana Department of Transportation is offer a scholarship program to civil engineering students that also includes summer and post-graduation employment opportunities.
The INDOT Scholarship program utilizes federal funds to offer up to $3,125 per semester or $2,083 per trimester for up to five years of post-secondary civil engineering education. The scholarship funds can be applied to educational expenses, fees and books. In return, recipients would work for INDOT in full-time, paid positions during summer breaks and upon graduation. Continue reading
No Decision Yet on J-Turn Proposals
Officials with the Indiana Department of Transportation are still undecided on whether or not to allow for the construction of J-turns at two intersections in Marshall County.
According to Northwest INDOT District Media Relations Director Doug Moats, a decision could come in the next couple of weeks.
Commissioners Approve INDOT Contract for King Road Bridge Project
The Marshall County Commissioners signed a contract with INDOT this week for the King Road bridge project.
The county will act as the Local Public Agency. The state will pay 80 percent of the projected cost of the project as part of a federal aid funding mechanism. The total cost is $215,840.
Apple Road Bridge Project Complete
The Marshall County Commissioners and highway department personnel did a final walk through of the Apple Road bridge project Tuesday afternoon. Highway Administrator Laurie Baker told the commissioners Monday that this will close out the project.
“Once all of the bills are in on that I can do my closeout on last year’s Community Crossings,” said Baker. “A rough estimate – I think we’re going to be over about $212,000. I don’t have my final bills so don’t hold me to that. It looks like we’ll be returning a little bit over $100,000 back to INDOT. We’ll still have $100,000 to work with for next year’s match.”
Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety Receives Community Crossings Update
Plymouth City Engineer Rick Gaul addressed the Board of Public Works and Safety during a meeting earlier this week. He provided board members with some information about the recently received INDOT Community Crossings grant.
Gaul said the City of Plymouth received half of the million dollars they were requesting. Initially seven projects were counted as contracts but since they weren’t awarded all of the funds requested they will be removing some projects. Gaul said he hopes to apply for the removed projects at a later date. Continue reading
Culver Town Council Receives Stellar Update as Site Visit Approaches
Town administrators and community members in Culver have been preparing for the upcoming Stellar Communities Designation Program site visit. On Wednesday evening, the Culver Town Council received an update about what has happened so far and what is yet to come.
Culver is one of three finalists in District 2 of the program, competing to be designated as a Stellar Community. In an effort to ensure they are aptly prepared, the Stellar Committee has been meeting on Tuesdays during the month of September. The night before the town council meeting, the committee met and did a practice run for the site visit. Continue reading
More Dissenting Comments Given Toward J-Turns
Opinions have not changed concerning J-turns at intersections in Marshall County. They’re not welcome.
INDOT officials reviewed their proposed plans for a J-turn intersection at U.S. 31 and State Road 110 during a public hearing Wednesday night and residents restated their distaste for the suggested improvement.
INDOT officials say that a J-turn intersection will improve safety by diverting traffic from a median crossroad and allowing drivers to turn into a median allowing a left turn, making a U-turn, joining traffic and turning at the desired location. Continue reading
J-Turn Intersection Public Hearing Set for Tonight
The second round of public hearings on a second set of J-turns proposed for the area is tonight. INDOT will be hosting the forum at the Argos Junior/Senior High School.
The intersection change to include a J-turn is proposed at U.S. 31 and State Road 110 in Marshall and Fulton Counties. The J-turn intersection would not allow a vehicle to turn left at a crossroad. Instead, the driver has to cross lanes of traffic into a median with a turn off lane in order to make a U-turn and join traffic and turn off at the desired location.
Public Hearing Set for Proposed J-Turn Intersection at U.S. 31 and State Road 110
Officials from the Indiana Department of Transportation will be at the Argos Junior/Senior High School on Wednesday night to gather public comments on the proposed J-turn intersection at U.S. 31 and State Road 110 in Marshall and Fulton Counties.
The proposed intersection improvement is a median U-turn, or J-turn. INDOT officials say the purpose of the project is to enhance safety at the intersection by separating traffic movements. They say J-turn intersections increase safety by reducing the number of possible conflicts and the points where two vehicle paths cross.
Marshall County Commissioners Receive Bridge Construction Updates
Marshall County Highway Administrator Laurie Baker presented the commissioners with a contract between the county and DLZ concerning the Hickory Road bridge. The contract includes the construction inspection of the bridge and the off-site wetland mitigation. The commissioners did approve a contract with DLZ Engineering not to exceed $186,360.
Laurie Johnson from DLZ provided an update on the pre-construction on the Hickory Road Bridge project.
J-Turns Not a Favorable Solution in Argos
Over 100 people attended a public hearing hosted by officials from the Indiana Department of Transportation Tuesday night at the Argos Junior/Senior High School to address the proposal of a J-turn intersection at U.S. 31 and State Road 10 in Argos.
Troyer Group Project Manager Chris Maidner presented statistics on why a J-turn would be a quicker, cheaper safety alternative at that intersection and provided an example of a J-turn intersection at State Road 114 and 41 in the Morocco area. Their statistics show a reduction in personal injury crashes anywhere from 50 to 100 percent, along with a reduction in the number of victims help after truck accident. Studies by INDOT and the Troyer Group found that the J-turn intersections can be utilized by large semi-trucks, school buses, farm equipment, horse and buggies, and large trailers without issue. Continue reading
J-turn Intersection Public Hearing Set for Tonight
A public hearing on the proposed J-turn intersection at U.S. 31 and State Road 10 and Dewey Street in Marshall County is tonight at 6 p.m. at the Argos Junior/High School.
This is the first of two public hearings set for two different J-turn proposals. The other intersection of this kind is proposed on U.S. 31 and State Road 110 on Wednesday, Sept 27 at 6 p.m. ET at the Argos Junior/Senior High School.
Community Crossings Grants to be Announced Soon
Indiana Department of Transportation officials will be announcing the Community Crossings grant awards in the next few weeks.
Local government entities have been waiting patiently for the notice as officials would like to send next year’s projects out for bid that will utilize these funds.
Proposed J-Turn Intersection Public Hearing Set for Tuesday
Officials from the Indiana Department of Transportation are hosting a public hearing tomorrow (Tuesday) to hear opinions on the proposed J-turn intersection for U.S. 31 at State Road 10 and Dewey Street (17th Road) in Marshall County.
INDOT touts the intersection will enhance safety for traffic. The J-turn intersection would not allow a vehicle to turn left at a crossroad. Instead, the driver has to travel quite a distance in order to turn left, or the opposite direction, to go back past the crossroad to turn left again to the desired location.
Culver Town Council Supports Petition Against Proposed J-Turns
The Culver Town Council members are in support of a petition against INDOT’s proposed J-turn intersection at U.S. 31 and State Road 10 and Dewey Street and another at U.S. 31 and State Road 110.
The J-turn intersection would not allow a vehicle to turn left at a crossroad. Instead, the driver has to travel quite a distance in order to turn left, or the opposite direction to go back past the crossroad to turn left again to the desired location. INDOT feels that the construction would create a safer way for traffic to maneuver.
Public Hearing Set for Intersection Improvement in Marshall, Fulton Counties
The construction of a J-turn intersection is planned at the intersection of U.S. 31 and State Road 110 in Marshall and Fulton Counties. A public hearing on the project is set for Wednesday, Sept. 27 at 6 p.m. at the Argos Community Jr./Sr. High School.
The proposed intersection is expected to enhance safety at that intersection. INDOT officials say J-turn intersections increase safety by reducing the number of possible conflicts and the points where two vehicles cross paths. It is the hope to reduce the number of “T” crashes.
The project information can be viewed prior to the public hearing at the Argos Public Library or by clicking here.
