Thirty-one stoplights down, seven to go — along with 105 intersections, 256 driveways and two railroad crossings.
We can’t stop until, as one lawmaker said, “we can set our cruise control in South Bend and not need to touch it until we get to … Indianapolis.”
A 20-mile section of divided, four-lane highway officially opened last week between South Bend and Plymouth on U.S. 31. The new road bypasses a pair of small towns — Lakeville and LaPaz — shaving about 10 minutes off that leg of the trip to Indy.
A bypass around the east side of Kokomo opened in November. That 13-mile stretch trimmed another 20 to 30 minutes off the trip. And a 13-mile section of new road in Hamilton County, north of Indianapolis, opens in 2015.
Put it all together, and the 46 miles of improved highway get rid of 31 stoplights, 668 driveways and two rail crossings. But that’s not enough.
John Letherman, president of the Elkhart County Council, pointed out that the improvements still leave 70 miles of U.S. 31 untouched — and that means motorists still encounter 105 intersections, 256 driveways and two railroad crossings along those 70 miles.
Letherman also heads the U.S. 31 Coalition, whose goal is converting the road to a freeway-grade arterial highway all the way to Indianapolis. The coalition estimates that by eliminating driveways and congestion, the project will prevent 2,600 accidents and 12 fatalities a year — rates 2.5 higher than the state average.