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IN US 31 Kokomo Bypass Upgrade Report

Started by mukade, June 26, 2011, 04:54:46 PM

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tdindy88

Forgot about the Louisville suburbs of Indiana. As for Anderson and Lebanon, those are extensions of the Indianapolis metro area really, especially since Anderson is part of the Indy MSA, again. But there's no point to nitpick any of this. There is one question thought that I have for anyone familiar with this project. Why an interchange at Boulevard and Touby Pike? I suspect there's an industrial reason for them, but I wanted to know. Why those two roads over say Sycamore, Lincoln (extended eastward to the bypass) or Southway?


mukade

INDOT wanted a Boulevard interchange, and Kokomo wanted an additional one at Touby Pike. INDOT responded with "you can have one or the other, but not both". The timing was such that Mitch Daniels wanted everyone to be happy, and so he overruled INDOT. That was at the time that people were very skeptical on Major Moves - a year or two later, and things would have been different.

I never heard discussions of Lincoln Road, Sycamore, or CR 200S interchanges.

Remember, the original INDOT study in the 1990s suggested the old bypass be upgraded, but Kokomo business people did not want so many businesses to have to be torn down. INDOT relented and did another study. Eventually, the current route (a modified/hybrid version of the six proposals) was selected, and then Kokomo businesses and city leaders didn't like the fact that businesses may migrate from SR 931. Sometimes, you just can't win.

mukade

Quick update:
- Google Maps is now pretty accurate except US 31 shields also appear on SR 931 and the freeway is not in the proper yellow-orange color.
- SR 931 signs are steadily going up along old US 31. I assume that will be done this week.

silverback1065

Is there a chance they pull the traffic light at division road after they finish the sr 28 interchange?  Or build an overpass?

NWI_Irish96

I haven't heard of any specific plans for Division Road. 
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Buck87

Quote from: mukade on December 04, 2013, 07:06:30 AM
Quick update:
- Google Maps is now pretty accurate except US 31 shields also appear on SR 931 and the freeway is not in the proper yellow-orange color.

I was looking at this new bypass on Google today and noticed that a half mile section of it between E. Center Rd and Kokomo Creek is missing from the map. However, when I tested to see how it would route directions, it correctly acted as if that section exists.

Was it like that before? Any one else seeing this?

silverback1065

Quote from: Buck87 on December 26, 2013, 10:49:34 PM
Quote from: mukade on December 04, 2013, 07:06:30 AM
Quick update:
- Google Maps is now pretty accurate except US 31 shields also appear on SR 931 and the freeway is not in the proper yellow-orange color.

I was looking at this new bypass on Google today and noticed that a half mile section of it between E. Center Rd and Kokomo Creek is missing from the map. However, when I tested to see how it would route directions, it correctly acted as if that section exists.

Was it like that before? Any one else seeing this?

it started a few weeks ago i don't know how to fix it.

monty

Quote from: cabiness42 on December 24, 2013, 07:51:09 AM
I haven't heard of any specific plans for Division Road. 
There are no current formal plans for Division Road. Tipton County officials would like to have an interchange installed there. The Thouroughfare Plan calls for an interchange.
monty

ysuindy

I spent much of the weekend in South Bend.  I left Indy around 8:00 a.m. Saturday and beat the snow to South Bend.

We left South Bend a bit after 2:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon.  The snow had stopped there around 8:00 a.m. and by the time we left US 31 was mostly wet, with some slushy spots in shady areas, but only in the areas between the tires.

We reached the Kokomo bypass somewhere around 4:00 p.m.  I wasn't sure when the snow stopped in Kokomo Sunday, but I believe it was no later than 11:00 a.m. or so.  31 north of Kokomo was fine, so I just stayed on the bypass.  Road conditions changed dramatically - for the worse.  For the most part, both lanes were at lease partially snow covered, many were fully snow covered especially the left lane.  The entrance and exit ramps were completely snow covered and, at a quick glance, appears to have been barely plowed.  As soon as we got off the bypass south of Kokomo, other than one brief stretch of about 100 yards of slush in Tipton County, roads were clear all the way back to Westfield.

At first I was surprised to see how bad the bypass was compared to what I had seen between South Bend and Kokomo.  I then realized how much less traffic was on the bypass than was on 31.  There was much less traffic.  With temperatures in the upper teens, the roads still needed traffic to help clear them even with the abundant sunshine.

I wonder when the first traffic counts for the 31 bypass and 931 will be available and how they will compare to the pre-Bypass traffic counts. 

monty

Pre-construction traffic estimates indicated that there would be about 14,000 vehicles on the new US 31 alignment around Kokomo.  Local traffic was (and still is) a large user of the IN 931 corridor.  Counts in mid and southern sections approached 45,000 in places before the new construction.  From my observation, I'd guess that the 14,000 number isn't far off.  It's obvious that the truck traffic on 931 has been greatly reduced. 

I don't care to call the new alignment a "bypass" even though it traverses around the east side of Kokomo avoiding 13 traffic signals.  It's really just a newly aligned interstate style highway in a semi-rural area.  Locals seem really confused as to what to call it because old 31 has always been "the bypass."  Many locals did not understand why the new route wasn't named "US 931" thinking that the "9" digit indicated bypass.  This was a broad misconception that was further enhanced by newspaper errors and quotes of a couple of officials.  I hear some calling the new alignment "the interstate" which to me makes more sense even though it is not an interstate shielded route.  There are still some who believe it will get built out on like the old alignment did, although surely now after they drive on it they will understand that is not an option in the design.

There is still a local discussion regarding the status of IN 931.  Seems the city and INDOT can't come to an agreement.  It appears the city would like to make the segment a local street but there is a "great gulf"  between what the city feels it needs to receive in support from INDOT and what INDOT wants to pay, so look for it to remain 931 for a while. The city hasn't been happy with INDOT's maintainance, especially mowing and snow plowing as of late.

There is very little actual use of the new alignment by local traffic other than those getting on to make serious travel to the north and south. Very few locals hop on and hop off the highway.  Those that do tend to live SE & NE of the new construction end points.  It's a beautiful road and the safety aspect of removing the through truck traffic off 931 should show up in reduced accident reports.  It's a breeze to travel.  The economic activity along US 31 should also be boosted.  I am eager to see the entire corridor from Indy to South Bend upgraded to this level. 
monty

mukade

After six months of the US 31 Kokomo bypass being open, I would say traffic volume is increasing. Just based on observations,  it certainly seems new US 31 volume exceeds SR 931 at the north section.  I know it was said reported before the new bypass was built, that 80% of the then existing US 31 traffic through Kokomo was local. I suspect that some people have been interpreted that to mean the new highway would carry 20-25% of the SR 931 traffic volume, but many "local" people take the new bypass. So you know SR 931 will not be able to support every establishment there with so much traffic lost. You wonder how the fast food restaurants up on the north side (especially) will be able to make it.

It will be interesting how long Kokomo's counter-intuitive building moratorium holds out. Based on the law of supply and demand and with all the difficult access to (or tearing down of) establishments in Hamilton County and the new Kokomo bypass, there should be a big now be a large demand for new restaurants, motels, and gas stations. Kokomo's strategy is to prevent growth, however. They even bought a private sewage treatment plant in Tipton County so as to ensure nothing can be built immediately south of Kokomo.

Because there is such a demand, perhaps some more shrewd people in Tipton, Grissom, or Peru can take advantage of the situation and encourage development (especially at the soon-to-be-built US 31 / SR 28 interchange).

The following article discusses more about loss of business on the south side (SR 931 at SR 26).

WSBT FACT FINDER Special Report: Is the US 31 Bypass bad for business?

vtk

Local traffic shifting to the new road isn't going to hurt businesses on the old road.  The locals still know those businesses are there, and they'll go there when they want to patronize those businesses.
Wait, it's all Ohio? Always has been.

Avalanchez71

So what is going on on OLD OLD 31?  is it a ghost town?  Is this now a quick route?

tdindy88

If you mean Washington Street, it seems just fine as a local street through town. Kokomo isn't exactly a dying town these days. I was downtown last year after the new bypass was built and there have been some efforts to improve the center of the city and now they are apparently going to build a small baseball stadium there. SR 931 has less traffic but is far from dead. I see that road developing like a Scatterfield (SR 9 in Anderson) or McGalliard (Muncie) as a commercial corridor that serves that community but isn't much of a through route. These two towns are arguably doing a little worse than Kokomo is and their "strips" are still doing pretty decent.

mukade

Quote from: vtk on June 01, 2014, 11:47:57 PM
Local traffic shifting to the new road isn't going to hurt businesses on the old road.  The locals still know those businesses are there, and they'll go there when they want to patronize those businesses.

Remember, this is talking about restaurants and gas stations so it means that they have alternatives. The two businesses referenced on the south side dropped 15-25%, and there is less to draw people up north.

mukade

Quote from: tdindy88 on June 02, 2014, 01:17:35 AM
If you mean Washington Street, it seems just fine as a local street through town. Kokomo isn't exactly a dying town these days. I was downtown last year after the new bypass was built and there have been some efforts to improve the center of the city and now they are apparently going to build a small baseball stadium there. SR 931 has less traffic but is far from dead. I see that road developing like a Scatterfield (SR 9 in Anderson) or McGalliard (Muncie) as a commercial corridor that serves that community but isn't much of a through route. These two towns are arguably doing a little worse than Kokomo is and their "strips" are still doing pretty decent.

The new road should have less impact on the stores on or near SR 931 in Kokomo. Getting to Kokomo will be easier, but it will also be easier for Kokomo people to shop in Hamilton County or Indy when the Hamilton County section is completed. The impact is on businesses catering to travelers (restaurants, gas stations, and hotels).

As for Washington Street strip, there are still a large number of business especially on the south side. I assume the new 31 should not affect their level of business.

NWI_Irish96

OK, this seemed like a throwaway line in the WSBT Kokomo story, but there's a quote here that seems to counter everything I've heard about the Hamilton County portion of the project:

"But there is still a lot of work to do around the Westfield area, Rea said, and 30 percent of the project still doesn't have money allocated, meaning it will be a few years before the project is all the way done."
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trafficsignal

Quote from: cabiness42 on June 02, 2014, 07:42:39 AM
OK, this seemed like a throwaway line in the WSBT Kokomo story, but there's a quote here that seems to counter everything I've heard about the Hamilton County portion of the project:

"But there is still a lot of work to do around the Westfield area, Rea said, and 30 percent of the project still doesn't have money allocated, meaning it will be a few years before the project is all the way done."

All of the Hamilton County project has been sent to bid and successfully awarded, so I'm not sure that is what he's talking about.  Maybe he's talking about making 31 into a limited-access freeway between the Hamilton & Kokomo projects?

NWI_Irish96

Quote from: trafficsignal on June 02, 2014, 10:19:19 AM
Quote from: cabiness42 on June 02, 2014, 07:42:39 AM
OK, this seemed like a throwaway line in the WSBT Kokomo story, but there's a quote here that seems to counter everything I've heard about the Hamilton County portion of the project:

"But there is still a lot of work to do around the Westfield area, Rea said, and 30 percent of the project still doesn't have money allocated, meaning it will be a few years before the project is all the way done."

All of the Hamilton County project has been sent to bid and successfully awarded, so I'm not sure that is what he's talking about.  Maybe he's talking about making 31 into a limited-access freeway between the Hamilton & Kokomo projects?

OK, that makes more sense. 
Indiana: counties 100%, highways 100%
Illinois: counties 100%, highways 61%
Michigan: counties 100%, highways 56%
Wisconsin: counties 86%, highways 23%

Avalanchez71

Is there anything left of the OLD OLD 31 that would indicate of what it once was?

mukade

Quote from: trafficsignal on June 02, 2014, 10:19:19 AM
Quote from: cabiness42 on June 02, 2014, 07:42:39 AM
OK, this seemed like a throwaway line in the WSBT Kokomo story, but there's a quote here that seems to counter everything I've heard about the Hamilton County portion of the project:

"But there is still a lot of work to do around the Westfield area, Rea said, and 30 percent of the project still doesn't have money allocated, meaning it will be a few years before the project is all the way done."

All of the Hamilton County project has been sent to bid and successfully awarded, so I'm not sure that is what he's talking about.  Maybe he's talking about making 31 into a limited-access freeway between the Hamilton & Kokomo projects?

I was not sure what was meant, but the Hamilton County portion goes from I-465 to SR 38 leaving almost ten miles undone in Hamilton County alone. The remaining part of US 31 that has not been upgraded will cost way less per mile (especially north of US 24) than the sections done, but it will still cost quite a bit.

silverback1065

I watched the video in the link, thank goodness the Kokomo mayor's idea didn't get implemented (take lights out and add some lanes), what an awful idea!!!

ysuindy

Quote from: mukade on June 01, 2014, 06:41:33 PM
After six months of the US 31 Kokomo bypass being open, I would say traffic volume is increasing. Just based on observations,  it certainly seems new US 31 volume exceeds SR 931 at the north section.  I know it was said reported before the new bypass was built, that 80% of the then existing US 31 traffic through Kokomo was local. I suspect that some people have been interpreted that to mean the new highway would carry 20-25% of the SR 931 traffic volume, but many "local" people take the new bypass. So you know SR 931 will not be able to support every establishment there with so much traffic lost. You wonder how the fast food restaurants up on the north side (especially) will be able to make it.

It will be interesting how long Kokomo's counter-intuitive building moratorium holds out. Based on the law of supply and demand and with all the difficult access to (or tearing down of) establishments in Hamilton County and the new Kokomo bypass, there should be a big now be a large demand for new restaurants, motels, and gas stations. Kokomo's strategy is to prevent growth, however. They even bought a private sewage treatment plant in Tipton County so as to ensure nothing can be built immediately south of Kokomo.

Because there is such a demand, perhaps some more shrewd people in Tipton, Grissom, or Peru can take advantage of the situation and encourage development (especially at the soon-to-be-built US 31 / SR 28 interchange).

The following article discusses more about loss of business on the south side (SR 931 at SR 26).

WSBT FACT FINDER Special Report: Is the US 31 Bypass bad for business?

I think I mentioned something similar shortly after it opened and 7 months later I still feel the same.  I typically hop on 31 at 38 headed northbound and other than the Burger King just north of 38, there is no food option until the truck stop just north of 24 in Peru. 

Somewhere just north of Kokomo (around Grissom as you said) would seem to be the sweet spot for at least a fast food / gas station combination. 




monty

Quote from: cabiness42 on June 02, 2014, 07:42:39 AM
OK, this seemed like a throwaway line in the WSBT Kokomo story, but there's a quote here that seems to counter everything I've heard about the Hamilton County portion of the project:

"But there is still a lot of work to do around the Westfield area, Rea said, and 30 percent of the project still doesn't have money allocated, meaning it will be a few years before the project is all the way done."

What Mr. Rae was inferring, is that there still needs to be new funding to complete the entire route from Indy to South Bend to an interstate standard...  Making improvements to what The US 31 Coalition calls the "gaps" in Hamilton, Tipton, Miami, Fulton and Marshall Counties that are not a part of the "big three" active projects. 

monty

NWI_Irish96

Quote from: ysuindy on June 02, 2014, 11:05:52 PM
Quote from: mukade on June 01, 2014, 06:41:33 PM
After six months of the US 31 Kokomo bypass being open, I would say traffic volume is increasing. Just based on observations,  it certainly seems new US 31 volume exceeds SR 931 at the north section.  I know it was said reported before the new bypass was built, that 80% of the then existing US 31 traffic through Kokomo was local. I suspect that some people have been interpreted that to mean the new highway would carry 20-25% of the SR 931 traffic volume, but many "local" people take the new bypass. So you know SR 931 will not be able to support every establishment there with so much traffic lost. You wonder how the fast food restaurants up on the north side (especially) will be able to make it.

It will be interesting how long Kokomo's counter-intuitive building moratorium holds out. Based on the law of supply and demand and with all the difficult access to (or tearing down of) establishments in Hamilton County and the new Kokomo bypass, there should be a big now be a large demand for new restaurants, motels, and gas stations. Kokomo's strategy is to prevent growth, however. They even bought a private sewage treatment plant in Tipton County so as to ensure nothing can be built immediately south of Kokomo.

Because there is such a demand, perhaps some more shrewd people in Tipton, Grissom, or Peru can take advantage of the situation and encourage development (especially at the soon-to-be-built US 31 / SR 28 interchange).

The following article discusses more about loss of business on the south side (SR 931 at SR 26).

WSBT FACT FINDER Special Report: Is the US 31 Bypass bad for business?

I think I mentioned something similar shortly after it opened and 7 months later I still feel the same.  I typically hop on 31 at 38 headed northbound and other than the Burger King just north of 38, there is no food option until the truck stop just north of 24 in Peru. 

Somewhere just north of Kokomo (around Grissom as you said) would seem to be the sweet spot for at least a fast food / gas station combination. 


It's not fast food, but there is a diner called Ugalde's at the corner of US 31 and CR 800 S.
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