IN: US 24 "Fort to Port" Upgrade report

[rawmustard]

I think anyone who has looked at a map since the current southern routing of US 24 with I-469 was put into place has thought that it would make sense to improve Lafayette Center Road to Roanoke. Still I have never seen have never seen any plans for such a road - even in the INDOT long range plan.

I had thought I had seen in an early 90s Rand McNally either "under construction" or "proposed" dotted lines in the area now west of the Lafayette Center interchange, but of course that would be unofficial. I would have to think a shorter route to I-69 was at least studied at the time the divided highway was built. (Although now re-reading the I-469 WP article, according to that the plans for a southern US-24 freeway go back to 1978. It's not out of the realm of possibility that it was originally intended to extend to Roanoke.)

[NE2]

I think anyone who has looked at a map since the current southern routing of US 24 with I-469 was put into place has thought that it would make sense to improve Lafayette Center Road to Roanoke. Still I have never seen have never seen any plans for such a road - even in the INDOT long range plan.

The "Regional Chamber of Northeast Indiana" is pushing a widening: http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120113/NEWS/120119817

[PurdueBill]

With 24 routed as it is now, anyone looking at a map would say "huh?" to 24 going all the way up and around via 69 instead of going across Lafayette Center and 900N.  Of course, original 24 went through Fort Wayne on city streets so the part northeast of Roanoke to where it meets I-69 made sense then. 

Driving out that way for some years from Ohio via US 30 to 469 to Lafayette Center Rd to 24 and onward, a couple miles on Lafayette Center road is nothing when the 35+ miles of IN 25 are included....now that is excruciating.  Before the last bit of 2-lane US 30 west of Upper Sandusky was bypassed, the 2-lane section near Roanoke was even more negligible in my trips.

Even if they didn't four-lane it, some improvements would be nice if they were to have the money.  It is narrow and gets a lot of trucks.  Shoulders would be a good start to improvements.

[mukade]

I wonder what they mean by "improving" the road for $66M. Is that an upgrade to freeway? Expressway? Would it end at the traffic light in Roanoke or merge in south of Roanoke?

With the new expressway/freeway east of Fort Wayne, it seems sillier not to have Lafayette Center Rd. upgraded, but still, it is not as important as US 31 or I-69 improvements. I would hope it doesn't get fast-tracked as they hope, but it would be a great long-term improvement as long as it is brought up at least to expressway standards.

[Zig]

I drive Lafayette Center Rd every day. There is no other good alternative for me. When the train blocks the RR crossing the way around is very long or dangerous. In the Winter the road is not well taken care of for the amount of traffic, frozen ruts, ice, snow, narrow. Then there is the traffic. Semis trying to shave some time and miles off there rout. It is very treturous especially during the Winter mouths. Some day after Im dead this will get fixed...

[mukade]

The pavement that failed on US 24 around Webster Road has all been removed, and it looks like all but the final two layers of the new pavement has been put down. It looks like it may be a couple of months away from completion.

[mukade]

The new section of U.S. 24 connecting Fort Wayne and Toledo is on track to open sooner than expected...

Looks like several new roads may open in November.

New Stretch of US 24 May Open Sooner Than Expected (Indiana's News Center)

[tdindy88]

Bumped into this by accident tonight, but relavent to discussions about Lafayette Center Road in Huntington and Allen Counties, it looks like they might take a serious look into improving that road. It's only a study, but it's a start.

http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20121103/LOCAL/311039975/1002/LOCAL

[mukade]

According to INDOT's Fort to Port web site, "the Indiana portion of this project officially opened to traffic on November 14, 2012". I assume that means it is scheduled to open this Wednesday.

I have been travelling up to eastern Michigan for a work project so I have taken US 24 three times in the last week and a half. Looking at the remaining unopened Indiana part, little is left to be done. Unlike I-69 where they are scrambling to complete the highway, this road has largely been done for weeks. The only obvious thing left is the center line stripe in the part that had failed and putting up a sign or two - most all signs are up.

One thing of interest is that the new speed limit in Indiana is 65 MPH (it was 60) so that is really good. Also, it says "Freeway Ends" at I-469 while signs on the original section ending at SR 101 said "Expressway Ends". I suppose this distinction is why they allow higher speed limits now.

The part from Toledo to Napoleon is really nice. There are no at grade crossings and there are enhanced reference markers on that entire section. The pavement is mostly concrete. The road from Toledo to Defiance was very busy and truck traffic was especially bad. West of Defiance, traffic was fairly light.

One really dangerous thing I saw was farm tractors going 20 MPH or so on the freeway both in Napoleon and in Indiana right at the state line. I would have thought that would be illegal.

[mukade]

Here is an article from the Fort Wayne paper confirming the Wednesday opening.

Fort-to-Port celebration is Wednesday (The Journal Gazette)

Below is a zoom shot showing progress on the very last section (taken Friday, November 9).

[mukade]

I drove the new Indiana section of the Fort to Port.

Highlights:
- it is still one lane each way by I-469 as they complete the cul de sac at old US 24 and remove the temporary access road across the median
- the middle portion has asphalt pavement - this is the pavement that failed last year
- the section west of SR 101 that has concrete pavement also had a lot of new concrete. I wonder of this section had some settling issues
- no exit number tabs are on the directional signs
- speed limit is 65 the entire Indiana secton (consistent with Ohio) except at the I-469 interchange where it goes down to 50






Bruick Rd. low level interchange (has short, two-way ramps, but long merge lanes on US 24)


Westbound US 24 at Bruick Rd. exit (to the right)


The freeway ends just before the I-469 interchange

[triplemultiplex]

Bruick Rd. low level interchange (has short, two-way ramps, but long merge lanes on US 24)


Westbound US 24 at Bruick Rd. exit (to the right)

I'd call that a RIRO.  It's still a 90 degree turn.

[SignGeniusPTOE]

The freeway ends just before the I-469 interchange

More terrible INDOT signage- how can at-grade signalized intersections be called "exits"?  The "EXIT 1/4 MILE" sign implies that traffic should get to the right, while to enter I-469 southbound after the overpass you have to turn left at the signalized intersection.  "Freeway Ends" should be in all-caps.

[mukade]

Some cardinal directions for entrances are mixed case also which is wrong.

[rawmustard]

More terrible INDOT signage- how can at-grade signalized intersections be called "exits"?  The "EXIT 1/4 MILE" sign implies that traffic should get to the right, while to enter I-469 southbound after the overpass you have to turn left at the signalized intersection.  "Freeway Ends" should be in all-caps.

I think this signage is in anticipation of the interchange rebuild, which unfortunately will be part of a separate project (not the one which got the US-24 freeway built here in the first place).