The Pilot News - ‘The new U.S. 31’ plans unveiled

By Mandy McFarland Staff Writer
LAKEVILLE — Plans for “the new U.S. 31” are cruising along as anticipated and are right on schedule, Rickie Clark, INDOT U.S. 31 Project communications director, in-formed area residents Tuesday.
At an open house at the Newton Center in Lakeville, Clark gave a brief presentation outlining plans to build a new U.S. 31 of freeway proportions.

About eight miles of the new U.S. 31 will run through Marshall County, beginning just north of U.S. 30 and running north into St. Joseph County. In addition, 15 miles of the 20-mile project will be a brand new stretch of highway, while the remaining 5 miles will overlap existing highway.
According to Clark, the project is about 30 percent further along than it was last August when INDOT (Indiana Department of Transportation) introduced it at a similar open house event.
“What we’ll do from here on out will be just a refining of our design,” project manager Jonathan Wallace said.
Part of Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels’ Major Moves program, the U.S. 31 updates are designed to increase traveling efficiency and decrease accidents and fatalities.
“This is a stretch of U.S. 31 that has a 40 percent higher rate of fatalities and crashes than similar roads around the state of similar size,” Wallace said.
If all goes according to plan, the $418.4 million project will take place in four stages beginning in 2009 and concluding in 2015. The first stage, scheduled for 2009 through 2010, will include creating a brand new stretch of highway from U.S. 6 to S.R. 4. Stage two, from 2010 through 2011, will include working south from U.S. 6 and overlapping the existing portion of U.S. 31. Stage three, scheduled for 2012, will include the existing stretch of U.S. 31 in St. Joseph County south to U.S. 6 and north to Kern Road in South Bend. The final and longest stage, scheduled for 2013 through 2015, will include updating the existing stretch of U.S. 31 from Kern Rd. north to U.S. 20.
According to Clark, in 2009 INDOT also plans to award the project for excavation from 1st Road to S.R. 4, award contracts for the relocation of Tyler Road and Lilac Road and build new bridges over Miller Road, New Road and the existing U.S. 31.
According to Wallace, INDOT has not yet decided how they will handle traffic during the stages of the project involving existing highway.
Some may wonder why the project does not involve simply updating the existing U.S. 31.
“Fixing the existing highway would have wiped out the driveways and businesses that open up on 31 now,” Wallace said.
That is because, while the existing highway is 60 feet wide, the new one will be 250 feet wide. Then, the former 31 will become a local road, with 75 percent less traffic than it sees now.
“The existing U.S. 31 will only have 25 percent of its current volume,” Wallace said.
There will also be interchanges at 7th Road, U.S. 6, Pierce Road (S.R. 4) and Kern Road. More information on the project is available at www.us31plysb.com , www.us31plymouth.com and www.us31southbend.com .