IN SR 25 Upgrade Report

[silverback1065]

for those who haven't seen the new route http://www.openstreetmap.org/ they always seem to have all the new routes posted. 

[mukade]

Apparently, the section of SR 25 from Lafayette to Delphi opened today according to this article. I drove by there around 5:30 pm, and it had not opened to traffic at that time, but it looked as if it would this evening.


This sign will be remounted on a new gantry as will the one shown below




Directional sign in Delphi with Illinois-style state road markers

[silverback1065]

When will Delphi to logansport be done?

[PurdueBill]

Weird signs.  Why is Delphi so small on the first one (and centered under NORTH)?  Why are the IN 18 and 39 shields off-looking?  Hmm.

It will still be nice to have even with weird signs.  While 25 from Logansport down to Lafayette has all been bad, the part south of Delphi always seemed brutal.  Not many passing areas, always some slowpoke or a truck, so-so sightlines. 

It will be interesting to see what becomes of the eastern end of 225.  Guess we will know soon now?

[tdindy88]

That first picture, it was mentioned that it will be put up on some gantry, will it be that sign or a different sign? As for the highway shields at the Delphi exit, did some Illinois company do the signing, that would be my guess on their apperance. At least there's no Clearview I suppose.

[Henry]

It amazes me just how much Indiana is committed to new road construction!

[agentsteel53]

Weird signs.  Why is Delphi so small on the first one (and centered under NORTH)?  Why are the IN 18 and 39 shields off-looking?  Hmm.

each white square lacks an internal black border.  it makes them look like Illinois markers.

[mukade]

Weird signs.  Why is Delphi so small on the first one (and centered under NORTH)?  Why are the IN 18 and 39 shields off-looking?  Hmm.

It will still be nice to have even with weird signs.  While 25 from Logansport down to Lafayette has all been bad, the part south of Delphi always seemed brutal.  Not many passing areas, always some slowpoke or a truck, so-so sightlines. 

It will be interesting to see what becomes of the eastern end of 225.  Guess we will know soon now?

As of yesterday, SR 225 remained unchanged. Indiana has a number of state roads that still end at the junction with the old route. SR 257 (N) and SR 55 (N) come to mind.

I drove the new road today, and it makes the trip from Lafayette to Delphi very quick. The road is very nice with several overpasses and most of these have "one-quadrant interchanges". It temporarily ends at a diamond interchange in Delphi and of course there is the existing I-65 interchange and roundabout in Lafayette.


Southbound signage approaching the roundabout - it reminds me a little of Australia or New Zealand signs


Unique sign on northbound lane that apparently will be up until the next new section of SR 25 opens


The highway feels like a freeway with all of the overpasses

[mukade]

When will Delphi to logansport be done?

All of it is under constructiion. The part around Clymers (maybe 5 miles) is done and open. Possibly more will open this year, but only using the westbound carriageway.

[NE2]

Unique sign on northbound lane that apparently will be up until the next new section of SR 25 opens

Interesting. Presumably this is approaching the left turn to old SR 25 into Delphi?

[mukade]

Yes, approaching the connector to Old SR 25 near Delphi.

[JREwing78]

It amazes me just how much Indiana is committed to new road construction!

Amazing what a $3.8 billion payout to lease a toll road can do to road construction funding.

Now, let's see what Indiana does (or doesn't do) to keep the momentum going, particuarly to complete projects like I-69.

[silverback1065]

so what happened to SR 225?

[tvketchum]

Weird signs.  Why is Delphi so small on the first one (and centered under NORTH)?  Why are the IN 18 and 39 shields off-looking?  Hmm.

I suspect that small Dephi willl be overlaid with Logansport when the remaining stretch opens.

[PurdueBill]

Weird signs.  Why is Delphi so small on the first one (and centered under NORTH)?  Why are the IN 18 and 39 shields off-looking?  Hmm.

I suspect that small Dephi willl be overlaid with Logansport when the remaining stretch opens.

The control cities on the signs for exit 175 of I-65 are Delphi and Lafayette, though--so wouldn't it make sense to have Delphi carry through?  Unless they are going to replace the control cities on the I-65 signs too. 

My thought about the strangeness of the sign isn't that Delphi is there vs. Logansport, but that Delphi is in such small print and centered under NORTH instead of centered in the sign completely below the first line.  It looks like it was an afterthought completely. 

[NE2]

Note that the arrows are on a strip of greenout.

[tdindy88]

Drove this way over the weekend and felt too that it is a huge improvement over the former SR 25. I also noticed that there were quite a few mileage signs on the highway that appeared after some of the roads that the highway crossed. Also, the mileage sign just east of the roundabout has Logansport listed first and then Delphi. I wonder if there is a reason that the further destination is listed first before the closer one, I think Europe does this a lot but it's very rare in Indiana and most of the U.S.

[mukade]

Someone should compare the actual signs with the design, but that mileage sign is also in all-caps which is wrong.

Hopefully you went all the way up to Logansport.

[tdindy88]

Actually I only went up to Delphi and back, but I'll make a trip up to Logansport later on. And I did notice that every sign on that highway (except at the roundabout and US 421 exit) was in all-caps, which is odd since Indiana has been going to mixed case signs for the past few years.

[tdindy88]

The impact of the new Indiana 25 is already being felt in Americus in Tippecanoe County. Apparently, the lack of a little white on green sign that has the town name on it is the main problem, that and a new four-lane highway that bypasses the town. Here's the article:

http://www.jconline.com/article/20121107/BUSINESS/311070034/americus-hoosier-heartland-businesses?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7C

[Truvelo]

Any business that is on a road to be bypassed will suffer the same problem. Owners should take action as soon as there is a hint of bypass being planned. Waiting until the traffic has gone is far too late.

On the flip side, homeowners with properties facing the bypassed road should see their values rise as quieter roads will make their homes more desirable.

[silverback1065]

I recently saw on Google Maps that the small portion of old SR 25 heading into Delphi is now Business SR 25, does anyone know if this is true, or just another error by Google?

[tdindy88]

I thought the name was just Old SR 25, but if it is a business route then it's local. When I was up there last November I didn't see any business route signings, but some may have gone up since then (I'm doubtful however.)

[Rushmeister]

I recently saw on Google Maps that the small portion of old SR 25 heading into Delphi is now Business SR 25, does anyone know if this is true, or just another error by Google?

I drove on it about a month ago.  I don't remember seeing any "Business" signage.  If it was signed as such, that would mean that it's still an Indiana state highway.  I've been under the impression the State handed it over to Carroll County for maintenance, so there shouldn't be any state highway number signage on it.  Probably just another Google screw-up, but someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

I was thinking about getting up that way next week sometime.  I'll try to drive the old section to see what signs, if any, they have there.

BTW, there is a preponderance of really funky, unusual, out-of-the-ordinary, and just plain old fugly signage on the new section between Lafayette and Delphi.  I know some of this has been mentioned before - and I'm sorry I don't have any pictures to post - but I think the signs are almost bad enough (words like "sloppy", "juvenile", and "whatever" come to mind) that INDOT should think about replacing them.

[theline]

I recently saw on Google Maps that the small portion of old SR 25 heading into Delphi is now Business SR 25, does anyone know if this is true, or just another error by Google?

I drove on it about a month ago.  I don't remember seeing any "Business" signage.  If it was signed as such, that would mean that it's still an Indiana state highway.  I've been under the impression the State handed it over to Carroll County for maintenance, so there shouldn't be any state highway number signage on it.  Probably just another Google screw-up, but someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

I wish I had a cite, but I'm pretty sure that a business route designation in Indiana is no guarantee that the route is state-maintained. In my town of South Bend we have BR US 31 and BR US 20, signed as such, although they are both city-maintained.