New US 231 in Dubois County, IN

[The Great Whamini]

Has any dirt been broken in Dubois County for the new US 231 yet?  The new 231 is designed to bypass both Huntingburg and Jasper.  And what will become of the Old 231?  Will it be returned to the city, or will it possibly be demoted to its former SR 45?  At least the stretch where SR 56 ran concurrent will likely remain SR 56.

[RoadWarrior56]

Based on my experience with Indiana, I can almost guarantee that existing 231 would be turned over to the County and/or cities and become an unnumbered route.

[tdindy88]

I don't think the bypass project will happen for a while. There was talk of it being done over the next few years but I think INDOT ran out of money for the project, at least from Major Moves. There have been a number of projects that have been dropped from Major Moves in the past year (I-69 extension taking more of the money perhaps?) Checking with the 18-month letting list for projects in Dubois County showed no returns for any road construction projects in the county, so US 231 will continue to go through Huntingburg and Jasper for quite some time.

[mukade]

I think the target date for start of construction was 2015, but funding was an issue north of SR 64. I would guess it will be built in stages as this is a fairly long new terrain expressway project. Also, I think the reason why it might not be further along is that they were revaluating the routing near Huntingburg Airport.

While I-69 funding may "siphon" money that could be used, I think that objectively I-69 and US 31 work is more important. Congestion is often a problem on US 231 in Dubois County and the project certainly needs to be done, but it will probably not be for a while.

BTW, I think this should be "Ohio Valley".

[sr641]

US 231 in southern Indiana is the future Interstate 67.

[InterstateNG]

Thanks for telling us 4 or 5 times.

[adt1982]

Only 4 or 5?

[David Miller]

The new road U.S.231 which was to go around Huntingburg and Jasper, Indiana should have been done first instead of the southern end which bypasses Chrisney and Dale very small towns with no major traffic problems. The dummies should have built the Jasper end first major traffic problems and every semi truck has to thread it way through that two-lane cowpath. I am sure the drivers hate to go through Jasper its takes forever. They talked about a bypass 40 to 50 years ago when it could have been done cheap. Now its July 2012 and still the same old two lane cowpath and when you go through Huntingburg who may have to wait 20 minutes are more on a train still no bypass or overpass another sore spot that nothing has ever been done about for decades. I know when I am home from Florida because as soon as I pass the I-64 interchange I am back on the same very old outdated highway. Hope mabye finally they will finish the bypass in my lifetime. David Miller

[InterstateNG]

They don't have roads in that part of Indiana?  Why are trucks on a cow path?

[mukade]

The new road U.S.231 which was to go around Huntingburg and Jasper, Indiana should have been done first instead of the southern end which bypasses Chrisney and Dale very small towns with no major traffic problems. The dummies should have built the Jasper end first major traffic problems and every semi truck has to thread it way through that two-lane cowpath. I am sure the drivers hate to go through Jasper its takes forever. They talked about a bypass 40 to 50 years ago when it could have been done cheap. Now its July 2012 and still the same old two lane cowpath and when you go through Huntingburg who may have to wait 20 minutes are more on a train still no bypass or overpass another sore spot that nothing has ever been done about for decades. I know when I am home from Florida because as soon as I pass the I-64 interchange I am back on the same very old outdated highway. Hope mabye finally they will finish the bypass in my lifetime. David Miller

First, there is no doubt Jasper and Huntingburg need a good bypass. I have driven through there, and it can be painful. Second point: be happy it was not built 40 or 50 years ago because Indiana highways built in that era generally became built up and congested.

As far as the new US 231 new terrain route, I think the way they did it by building it from Kentucky to I-64 was fine. The plan was that the Jasper-Huntingburg bypass was to be built a year or so afterward and that was to be a Major Moves project. In other words, it would have been fully funded which is really important for a road costing over $200M. Then someone somehow decided they needed to reconsider the bypass route near Huntingburg Airport. That study put construction back several years, and more importantly meant that it was no longer a Major Moves project. So now it has to compete for regular funding with I-69, US 31, and I-265 so it will probably be a while.

I don't remember who questioned the planned route. The very detailed plans for this proposed 35-40 mile bypass were posted on the INDOT web site for years, but I don't even see them there now. It is a shame.

[jnewkirk77]

I LOVE the idea of a Jasper-Huntingburg 231 bypass.  That said, I will likely be dead and buried long before it gets off of paper and onto terra firma ... and by the way, I'm 34.

[tvketchum]

I LOVE the idea of a Jasper-Huntingburg 231 bypass.  That said, I will likely be dead and buried long before it gets off of paper and onto terra firma ... and by the way, I'm 34.

And people your age die of heart attacks, traffic crash injuries, and gunshot wounds all the time. Until highway funding gets a serious review at the federal, state and local levels, needed projects will always lag behind.

[jnewkirk77]

I LOVE the idea of a Jasper-Huntingburg 231 bypass.  That said, I will likely be dead and buried long before it gets off of paper and onto terra firma ... and by the way, I'm 34.

And people your age die of heart attacks, traffic crash injuries, and gunshot wounds all the time. Until highway funding gets a serious review at the federal, state and local levels, needed projects will always lag behind.

This is true.

[silverback1065]

This isnt dubois county but does anyone know about the spencer bypass(any maps or websites with info)? Any timeframes

[tdindy88]

Nothing I know of, I don't think there has even been a route chosen, so construction is likely many years off, probably after all the other big projects are done.

[mukade]

Not only nothing, but last I saw, they eliminated the bypass as an option and were looking at improving traffic flow through town by either moving the highway a block south or to make the existing route one way and using a parallel city street as one way the other way. If I remember correctly, that city street would require some improvement by INDOT. I think they also considered ways to just improve flow on the existing street that SR 46, SR 67, and US 231 follow. That might be what they chose to do.

Regardless, there is no report on the INDOT web site for a Spencer bypass as you would expect for an active project. When the study was posted, I thought it said that the bypass there would be very expensive because of the terrain.

I think the more active parts of US 231 being considered for improvement in the long range plans are from I-74 to Lafayette and from I-70 through Greencastle. From Greencastle north to Crawfordsville was also a subject of study, but that also is no longer on the INDOT site (at least I don't see it).

Fort the short term, INDOT wanted a centerline rumble strip on US 231 from I-74 to SR 28, but the only bid they got was too high so was rejected.

INDOT posts a lot when projects and studies are active. Now that Major Moves funds are essentially spent (or at least spoken for), a lot of the study and project documents (for those that were in the running, at least) are no longer posted.

[silverback1065]

when is the new west lafayette bypass scheduled to be opened?

[jnewkirk77]

All the news I've seen/heard about the project indicates it should be done by September 2013.

[silverback1065]

Thats interesting i wonder y they have started taking down sr 26 signs
Post Merge: August 15, 2012, 08:19:52 AM
It looks like 231 wont be upgraded for awhile now since there is no money for it i wonder if we will ever see it upgraded completely

[SW Indiana]

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2013/jun/03/no-headline---huntingburg/

The bypass project must've been pushed back many, several years because I wouldn't think INDOT would build an overpass for what would be Old US 231, if the bypass is ever built.

[NWI_Irish96]

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2013/jun/03/no-headline---huntingburg/

The bypass project must've been pushed back many, several years because I wouldn't think INDOT would build an overpass for what would be Old US 231, if the bypass is ever built.

Another newspaper that needs to learn the difference between a state and US highway . . .

[andy]

Another article on Monday's announcement of US231 upgrade in Huntingburg;

http://www.duboiscountyfreepress.com/huntingburg-expects-long-overdue-overpass-will-create-a-safer-city-and-stimulate-economic-growth/

... said Nass. "I am excited because it invites all types of opportunity for I-67, it will pull industry to the west side of town, and relieve truck traffic from U.S. 231."

There are several things left unanswered by the article, but I don't think the imagined I-67 has anything to do with this project.  It certaintly would not incorporate this overpass and the 231 bypass/"I-67" would likely be on the east side of town.

If this overpass only connects Styline drive to 14th street, I don't think it will be very effective.  If however a new road connects the Styline/IN64 intersection around the west side of town to the Oak street area on the south side of town, then that would be helpful.

[silverback1065]

It's wishful thinking believing that I-67 will be built in the next 15 years or ever.