Indiana Notes

[Stephane Dumas]

I saw some satellite shots at https://mapper.acme.com/?ll=40.96050,-85.35760&z=17&t=S showing some acquired ROW on E 900N/Lafayette Center Road between US-24 and I-69. Is there any plans to upgrade that road into a 4-lanes boulevard?

[PurdueBill]

I saw some satellite shots at https://mapper.acme.com/?ll=40.96050,-85.35760&z=17&t=S showing some acquired ROW on E 900N/Lafayette Center Road between US-24 and I-69. Is there any plans to upgrade that road into a 4-lanes boulevard?

Never mind plans.  They just finished doing so.  4 lanes plus a center turn lane.  Bridge over railroad.  Had they done it some time ago, US 24 could have cut over that way to 469 instead of now going around the north side instead of south on 69 to 469 which it did until a couple years ago. 

[silverback1065]

is the us 33/30 interchange being redone in ft wayne?  it looks different now

[silverback1065]

it was done by indot too, they should make 24 go that way. 

[silverback1065]

nevermind, they are, they're flipping it! http://wane.com/2017/03/29/u-s-3033-interchange-work-could-begin-friday/

[silverback1065]

Here's how much tolling would generate on the interstates here: https://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2017/11/02/where-toll-roads-would-generate-most-money-indiana/824772001/

[NWI_Irish96]

My recommendation: Toll I-94.  Estimate the percentage of toll revenue that would be paid by in-state drivers and return that amount to residents of Lake/Porter/LaPorte counties via some sort of tax credit.

[theline]

INDOT recently installed rumble strips along the center line of US 20 in eastern LaPorte County. They are touting a reduction in the number of crashes and fatalities. Since this is a heavily-travelled, high-speed road, the improvement is hardly surprising.

Here is the South Bend Tribune story, featuring a good close-up photo by the daring Robert Franklin: https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/publicsafety/fewer-crashes-fatalities-after-rumble-strips-on-u-s/article_15e982ae-76f7-5795-b1c0-f18c3a0957b7.html

This stretch of road would be a candidate to upgrade to a divided expressway, but development along the route would make right-of-way acquisition very costly.

[captkirk_4]

The four lane portion of US 24 across central Indiana is mostly fast open travel. But those stoplights in Wabash are really awful. I've driven that way a couple dozen times and NOT ONCE did I ever get through Wabash without stopping and waiting at those lights. If they are not going to give a major thoroughfare the majority of a lights green time means an interchange really needs to be built there. Since they continued the four lane SW to Lafayette it looks like the expressway on US 24 won't be extended from it's terminus at Logansport to the Illinois State line. A real federal infrastructure bill should look at a regional bypass south of Chicagoland and that I80-90-94 bottleneck nightmare. A Peoria-Toledo expressway along the US24 corridor would be nice.

[PurdueBill]

The four lane portion of US 24 across central Indiana is mostly fast open travel. But those stoplights in Wabash are really awful. I've driven that way a couple dozen times and NOT ONCE did I ever get through Wabash without stopping and waiting at those lights. If they are not going to give a major thoroughfare the majority of a lights green time means an interchange really needs to be built there. Since they continued the four lane SW to Lafayette it looks like the expressway on US 24 won't be extended from it's terminus at Logansport to the Illinois State line. A real federal infrastructure bill should look at a regional bypass south of Chicagoland and that I80-90-94 bottleneck nightmare. A Peoria-Toledo expressway along the US24 corridor would be nice.

I am amazed at how I can catch red lights at all three Wabash lights these days, the one between SR 13 and SR 15 being added the last couple years.  The one at SR 13 seems to be especially apt at stopping a platoon of traffic on 24 to let one person across on 13, but I've gotten all three reds at all times of day or night (11am, 11pm, 1am, 4pm, it doesn't matter). 

[silverback1065]

I just drove this route for the first time from 69 to 31, I got stopped at the 15 light.  Not sure why 24 isn't the continuous movement when it hits 35.

[tdindy88]

Well the US 35 bypass of Logansport is considerably older than the four-lane US 24 in that area. And until the recent completion of SR 25 southwest to Lafayette I'm sure it didn't matter that you had to stop there, you were going to be getting off US 35 onto another two-lane highway soon enough. Now that it's a continous flow south toward Lafayette perhaps a change is in order.

In a similar vain, US 24 also requires a turning motion at the junction with SR 9 west of Huntington. Again the SR 9 bypass is an older highway. That's another intersection that could be redesigned since there is very little traffic to the south, SR 9 really shoudn't even be a four-lane highway past Huntington.

And speaking of Huntington, I wonder why there isn't an exit at US 224/SR 5 with US 24. It always has seem to me that the right of way is actually there for a diamond interchange.

[silverback1065]

Well the US 35 bypass of Logansport is considerably older than the four-lane US 24 in that area. And until the recent completion of SR 25 southwest to Lafayette I'm sure it didn't matter that you had to stop there, you were going to be getting off US 35 onto another two-lane highway soon enough. Now that it's a continous flow south toward Lafayette perhaps a change is in order.

In a similar vain, US 24 also requires a turning motion at the junction with SR 9 west of Huntington. Again the SR 9 bypass is an older highway. That's another intersection that could be redesigned since there is very little traffic to the south, SR 9 really shoudn't even be a four-lane highway past Huntington.

And speaking of Huntington, I wonder why there isn't an exit at US 224/SR 5 with US 24. It always has seem to me that the right of way is actually there for a diamond interchange.

looking at satellite view, the land around the intersection appears to be intentionally reserved for exactly that purpose

[csw]

Drove through Fowler today, looks like they have just recently finished the US 52 resurfacing job through town.

[theline]

Resurfacing of a 10-or-so-mile section of the St. Joseph Valley Parkway is essentially complete. It's the part that comprises the entire US 31/US 20 concurrency. Traffic had been restricted to one lane each way for several months, but all lanes are open now. It looks like a fine job, with the addition of reflectors along the centerline and on the ramp gore points.

In another matter, INDOT is abandoning (at least for now) plans to install J-turns at several locations on US-24 and US-31, citing public objections. I think those objecting have a reasonable point, since the mainline traffic on both highways have posted speed limits of 60 and traffic generally flows at speeds between 65 and 70. Here's a news story: https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/indiana/transportation-officials-call-off-proposed-j-turn-projects/article_2c2bb9b6-ca70-11e7-82c4-af9946d00d8a.html

INDOT may need to look into additional traffic lights in the trouble spots, until permanent solutions like overpasses and interchanges can be effected.

[pianocello]

INDOT may need to look into additional traffic lights in the trouble spots, until permanent solutions like overpasses and interchanges can be effected.

That's a slippery slope. I agree with you from a safety standpoint, but my experience with traffic lights on expressways in Indiana has been nothing short of aggravating.

[PurdueBill]

INDOT may need to look into additional traffic lights in the trouble spots, until permanent solutions like overpasses and interchanges can be effected.

That's a slippery slope. I agree with you from a safety standpoint, but my experience with traffic lights on expressways in Indiana has been nothing short of aggravating.

The lights around Huntington and Wabash on 24 are prime examples of lights that really screw up the through route, especially when they seem to be timed to require stopping at multiple ones in short order.  As noted before recently (was it in this thread? maybe on a previous page but I'd lose my post to look), they saved space at SR 5/US 224 to build a diamond interchange with US 24, but that ship has sailed with the addition of lights on either side of that intersection.  Wabash has one more light now than it did 10 years ago which always seems to stop a platoon of traffic that only just started moving from one of the other Wabash lights.  Traffic indeed moves at 65 or 70 and the speed limit should probably be 65 to reflect reality.  The crossroads with problems need some kind of help but the J-turns may not be it.

[silverback1065]

INDOT may need to look into additional traffic lights in the trouble spots, until permanent solutions like overpasses and interchanges can be effected.

That's a slippery slope. I agree with you from a safety standpoint, but my experience with traffic lights on expressways in Indiana has been nothing short of aggravating.

signals don't make things safer, they can actually make things worse.  you have and increase in different types of accidents when you add a signal. 

[silverback1065]

random question, why doesn't INDOT cosign SR 3 with I-69 from US 224 to US 27? 

[NWI_Irish96]

random question, why doesn't INDOT cosign SR 3 with I-69 from US 224 to US 27? 

I don't know why, but INDOT does not sign state highways on interstates.  IN 37 and IN 67 have hidden concurrencies with I-465.  There has been some debate about whether IN 3 is also a hidden concurrency or separate segments and I think the conclusion was that they are separate segments but either way there would be no signage.

[NWI_Irish96]

In another matter, INDOT is abandoning (at least for now) plans to install J-turns at several locations on US-24 and US-31, citing public objections. I think those objecting have a reasonable point, since the mainline traffic on both highways have posted speed limits of 60 and traffic generally flows at speeds between 65 and 70. Here's a news story: https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/indiana/transportation-officials-call-off-proposed-j-turn-projects/article_2c2bb9b6-ca70-11e7-82c4-af9946d00d8a.html

I wonder where on 31 these were being considered?

[silverback1065]

In another matter, INDOT is abandoning (at least for now) plans to install J-turns at several locations on US-24 and US-31, citing public objections. I think those objecting have a reasonable point, since the mainline traffic on both highways have posted speed limits of 60 and traffic generally flows at speeds between 65 and 70. Here's a news story: https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/indiana/transportation-officials-call-off-proposed-j-turn-projects/article_2c2bb9b6-ca70-11e7-82c4-af9946d00d8a.html

I wonder where on 31 these were being considered?

they were going to be at SR 10 and 110. 

[silverback1065]

random question, why doesn't INDOT cosign SR 3 with I-69 from US 224 to US 27? 

I don't know why, but INDOT does not sign state highways on interstates.  IN 37 and IN 67 have hidden concurrencies with I-465.  There has been some debate about whether IN 3 is also a hidden concurrency or separate segments and I think the conclusion was that they are separate segments but either way there would be no signage.

i think it's 2 separate pieces, because they have TO SR 3 shields at 224.  I don't understand why they didn't do the same that they did to SR 1 and have it end at 469.  Google thinks 3 is cosigned secretly with 69 though. 

[NWI_Irish96]

In another matter, INDOT is abandoning (at least for now) plans to install J-turns at several locations on US-24 and US-31, citing public objections. I think those objecting have a reasonable point, since the mainline traffic on both highways have posted speed limits of 60 and traffic generally flows at speeds between 65 and 70. Here's a news story: https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/indiana/transportation-officials-call-off-proposed-j-turn-projects/article_2c2bb9b6-ca70-11e7-82c4-af9946d00d8a.html

I wonder where on 31 these were being considered?

they were going to be at SR 10 and 110. 

I wouldn't bother with J Turns.  There's either enough danger to warrant interchanges or there isn't. 

[silverback1065]

I'm against them on 31, the idea is to remove ALL at grades. this isn't doing that.  would have been a good idea on 24 though.