Work on Indiana 25 from Logansport to Lafayette, and on U.S. 24 from Fort Wayne to Toledo for the Hoosier Heartland Industrial Corridor, will be complete in the next two years.
More than 150 people gathered in the Western Howard Conservation Club for the 29th yearly update on the project.
“For over 20 years, government officials, business leaders and Hoosiers have been working toward the completion of the Heartland highway,” Congressman Todd Rokita said. “Completion is close at hand and not a moment too soon. At a time many Hoosiers are desperately in need of jobs, this project will bring critical economic development and opportunity to north central Indiana. The Heartland highway offers a bright future for this region of our state.”
Because of the country’s debt — about 42 percent of every dollar the government spends has been borrowed — many are wondering where to get money to maintain and build roads and bridges. However, because of the work between different agencies from the corridor’s area, the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) and state government, the project will be able to keep moving, Rokita said.
“This project is successful because the answer came from here, not from Washington,” he said. “I hope to be able to help bring this project to a landing, start the next phase, move on to another project.”
The entire project has a total estimated cost of $213 million, said Robert Tally, Federal Highway Administration Indiana division administrator. About 80 percent of that was federally funded.
“At a federal level, we are still facing an uncertain future as far as our infrastructure. ... We need to be mindful of this,” Tally said. “This corridor will land successfully.”
INDOT has already started work on the two sections, and the department has confirmation that the work is fully funded, said Jim Earl, INDOT project manager.
“I’m very encouraged that the deadlines appear to be on track, and the funding is committed,” said Tom Weatherwax, Hoosier Heartland Industrial Corridor chairman. “Today, if you didn’t have something done and didn’t have the funding committed, you might have trouble getting somewhere.”
For the corridor’s connection from Fort Wayne to Toledo, INDOT is working on U.S. 24 up to the state line. To do this, five road construction contracts and one environmental contract were made. Two of the five sections of roadway are already complete and open to traffic, and the rest are expected to be complete late 2012 or early 2013, Earl said.
For Indiana 25 from Lafayette to Logansport, 26 contracts had to be awarded to work on more than 35 miles of roadway. Of those, 13 are working on the road itself, and eight are working on bridges. Land acquisition and permitting are ongoing, but the entire section should be complete sometime in 2013.
The goal of the highway development is to create a four-lane highway connecting the Wabash Valley to other regional and national areas, trying to promote the area’s economy with greater accessibility. Bridges over the Wabash River were started in 1991, a Fort Wayne bypass was opened in 1995, work on the corridor from Logansport to Peru completed in 1999 and work completed from Huntington to Wabash in 2000.
“Upon completion of the Hoosier Heartland Industrial Corridor, all of the communities along its route will see improved economic benefits, including the creation of new jobs and better opportunities for the citizens that live there,” Peru Mayor Jim Walker said.