Meeting to discuss U.S.
231 plan
By Heather Poston
Staff
Writer
Individuals will have the opportunity to voice
their opinions about alternate U.S. 231 routes in a meeting tonight.
The meeting will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. tonight
in Stewart Center, Room 206.
The U.S. 231 project has been in the works since
1978 when the Area Plan Commission of Tippecanoe County adopted the
Transportation Plan for the Greater Lafayette area. In 1987, alternative
routes for U.S. 231 were chosen after an environmental impact study
of the area was conducted. Those alternatives are now being re-evaluated
due to considerable developments west of Purdue's campus.
"This project was actually initiated by Tippecanoe
County to reduce the traffic congestion and to improve safety," said
Ron Adams, project manager for the Indiana Department of Transportation.
The southern part of this project, including the
new bridge crossing the Wabash River and the improvements to South River
Road, was completed in June of 2001. The northern portion of the project
was intended to alleviate the traffic on campus by re-routing U.S. 231
to the west.
"Routes vary based on the community it serves,"
said Jim Hawley, executive director of the Area Plan Commission of Tippecanoe
County. "We have many possible locations for the re-routing of U.S.
231, but have no definite alternative yet."
The relocation project of U.S. 231 is a result
of the increased population and traffic in the Greater Lafayette area.
Between the years of 1980 and 2005, it was projected that motor vehicle
traffic would increase by 24.3 percent and population would increase
by 9.7 percent.
Citizens of this growing community are invited
to learn more about the relocation project and the effects of the alternative
routes. The public is encouraged to voice their opinions as well as
suggest other alternative routes.
Ricky Clark, public hearings manager for the Indiana
Department of Transportation said, "We need the public's help to steer
us in the right direction."
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