By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw
WARSAW — The newest set of options for how best to reconstruct intersections along US 30 across northern Indiana was unveiled Tuesday.
The newest set of online options comes a week before two public meetings — one in Columbia City and one in Warsaw.
Officials have agreed already that the future highway will not stray from its existing path, which had earlier been a concern in Kosciusko County.
The ultimate goal is to make it a limited-access highway and that means relying heavily on new overpasses and interchanges while eliminating many of the existing smaller intersections.
The propelus30.com website has an in-depth look at how intersections could be adjusted as the state considers reconstructing the highway from Ohio to SR 49 near Valparaiso.
To see the section about Kosciusko County, go to the website and look for the link titled “Draft Level 3 Screening Report” and choose US 30 East.
Former mayor Joe Thallemer, who is the president of Indiana’s US 30 Coalition, said the latest plan represents a conceptualization of what the highway could look like when complete.
What’s available is an in-depth look at possibilities and examines what could happen with many of the intersections.
Thallemer said now is the time to get involved if you have concerns or preferences in how intersections are constructed.
“This is where public comment is probably going to be most impactful,” Thallemer said.
The newly released draft of proposed safety improvements is a product of the Planning and Environmental Linkages Study (PEL).
“At this level of the PEL study — and really for the rest of the project — the state, feds and engineers will take over after that,” he said.
Public information meetings are set for 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19, at Indian Springs Middle School in Columbia City and 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov 20, at Lincoln Elementary in Warsaw.
