FORT WAYNE – Construction is nearing completion on the widening of a major Fort Wayne thoroughfare.
Q. The Indiana 14 project is about to be completed. My understanding is the finished target date is July. Concrete markers have been installed every tenth of a mile. Why were they installed and what was the cost? Also, is the speed limit going to be 45 mph? – Dave Furge
A. Well, Dave, your completion estimate is slightly off, but not by much.
Roger McNeill, project supervisor with the Indiana Department of Transportation, said the scheduled completion date for the Illinois Road widening project is Aug. 10, and the project is expected to be finished on time.
The markers you see every 0.10 mile are the concrete right-of-way markers placed on the newly established corners of the state’s property lines. They have a price on this project of $135 each, which includes labor to install. He said it has always been the state’s policy to place these markers along right-of-way on new construction that involved the state taking property because it gives adjacent property owners a visible confirmation of the location of property lines.
The speed limit will remain 35 mph until work is completed. At that time, it will be raised to 45 mph. The $14.2million project widens Illinois Road from Interstate 69 to Scott Road to five lanes, including a middle left-turn lane. The work also includes a 10-foot trail on the road’s south side and a regular sidewalk built on the north.
Q. Do you have any information whether the city has plans to reconstruct the eastbound lane of Paulding Road between Calhoun and Lafayette streets? – Linda Kolb
A. Good news, Linda, work is on the way. A short question gets a short answer: the city plans to resurface Paulding Road between Calhoun and Lafayette this summer. This should make all lanes easier to travel.
Project updates
•Completion of the first phase of the Aboite Center Road project between Dicke Road and Coventry Lane has been delayed a few weeks until July 9 because of heavy rains in May. The entire project is still expected to be completed by mid-October.
•Interstate 469 will be restricted to one lane for northbound traffic between U.S. 24 and Indiana 37 throughout June.
•The state installed an all-way stop at Indiana 14 and County Line Road this week. The stop is intended to increase safety until the state can put up a full traffic signal, which should be installed by early August.
•Trier Road will be closed between Hobson Road and Coliseum Boulevard through Wednesday to replace part of a storm drain.
Radio Sage
This week’s bonus audio question comes from Rick Brown, who asks about extending Evard Road. The segment originally aired Friday afternoon on WOWO and can be found online at www.journalgazette.com/roadsage.
