Souder, Local Officials Discuss Western Route
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
To get a clearer understanding of the Western Alternative Route Project, U.S. Congressman Mark Souder met with local officials Friday to discuss the project and funding.
Souder secured $500,000 for the Ind. 15 bypass project in the final version of the Omnibus Appropriations bill, which was approved by the U.S. Congress on Nov. 20 by a vote of 344-51.
"In highway funding," Souder said, "the No. 1 goal we have is to have the least amount of money go to Washington."
In July, the Kosciusko County commissioners approved the Western Alternative Route, which begins near CR 400S and travels southwest of Goose Lake to approximately CR 350W, give or take a quarter of a mile. The proposed corridor would travel north until approximately Crystal Lake Road, and then travel north along CR 300W, crossing U.S. 30 at the closed rest park. In the area of CRs 450N to 500N, it would travel east to Ind. 15. As many back property fence lines as possible will be used. The proposed corridor then goes north on Ind. 15, but before going through Milford, it turns northwest to CR 17 in Elkhart County.
The project will be broken into two phases. Each phase will contain three parts. There is no timeline or starting dates for the phases at this time.
Phase 1 is from U.S. 30 south to Ind. 15. The first part of that phase will be from U.S. 30 to Crystal Lake Road. The second part is from Crystal Lake Road to Ind. 25. Finally, the third part of phase 1 is from Ind. 25 to Ind. 15.
Phase 2 includes the work from U.S. 30N to the Elkhart County Line. Part 1 of phase 2 is from U.S. 30 to Ind. 15. Part 2 is from Ind. 15 to south of the Milford area. And part 3 is from south of Milford to the Elkhart County line.
A third phase may be to widen the corridor from two lanes to three or four lanes.
Souder told the group of county commissioners, councilmen, Warsaw officials, reporters and chamber and business representatives that when Congress debates the transportation bill, it's a fight every time between the big states and the small states so the middle-size states such as Indiana often lose out. Seniority of the congressmen also matters when earmarking dollars.
"This is the first time I've ever had road funds earmarked," said Souder, who's been a member of Congress for 10 years. He's put in requests every year, but this year is the first year he's received them.
When he receives requests for help for funding, Souder said they have to be reasonable and meet standards, including how the projects fit into the "big picture."
Elkhart and Kosciusko counties are in Souder's district and both have large manufacturing companies that rely on the transportation systems, not only in their respective counties but also in Fort Wayne and the surrounding area.
"You have a stake in being able to move people in and out of Allen County because most of the executives are cloistered there," Souder said.
Kosciusko County Highway Department Superintendent and Engineer Rob Ladson said he sent Souder a letter in March requesting the $500,000 for an engineering study of the project. Since that time, the commissioners chose a route and it does take into account tying in to CR 17 in Elkhart County. Of course, since the request in March, costs have increased, including a requirement from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for a study of various plant and animal life along the proposed route. It may cost approximately $30,000 to study if and to what extent bats, rattlesnakes, club shell mussels, fish and rare and endangered plants have habitats along the route.
The $500,000 Souder secured, Ladson said, will help with the actual preliminary engineering design and keep the county on track with the project.
As for help from the state of Indiana, Ladson said in his opinion, the state hasn't shown much interest. "Getting the state's cooperation is one of our challenges."
Kosciusko County has a solution to its traffic problem, Ladson said, the state just needs to get on board.
Souder said it was his understanding that if the county didn't use the half-million dollars in one year, they still will get it, but the county ought to spend it "sooner rather than later so it doesn't get trimmed."
As for getting the state on board, Souder said if the county gets the project going, it becomes a lot harder for people like himself not to make it a priority. [[In-content Ad]]
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To get a clearer understanding of the Western Alternative Route Project, U.S. Congressman Mark Souder met with local officials Friday to discuss the project and funding.
Souder secured $500,000 for the Ind. 15 bypass project in the final version of the Omnibus Appropriations bill, which was approved by the U.S. Congress on Nov. 20 by a vote of 344-51.
"In highway funding," Souder said, "the No. 1 goal we have is to have the least amount of money go to Washington."
In July, the Kosciusko County commissioners approved the Western Alternative Route, which begins near CR 400S and travels southwest of Goose Lake to approximately CR 350W, give or take a quarter of a mile. The proposed corridor would travel north until approximately Crystal Lake Road, and then travel north along CR 300W, crossing U.S. 30 at the closed rest park. In the area of CRs 450N to 500N, it would travel east to Ind. 15. As many back property fence lines as possible will be used. The proposed corridor then goes north on Ind. 15, but before going through Milford, it turns northwest to CR 17 in Elkhart County.
The project will be broken into two phases. Each phase will contain three parts. There is no timeline or starting dates for the phases at this time.
Phase 1 is from U.S. 30 south to Ind. 15. The first part of that phase will be from U.S. 30 to Crystal Lake Road. The second part is from Crystal Lake Road to Ind. 25. Finally, the third part of phase 1 is from Ind. 25 to Ind. 15.
Phase 2 includes the work from U.S. 30N to the Elkhart County Line. Part 1 of phase 2 is from U.S. 30 to Ind. 15. Part 2 is from Ind. 15 to south of the Milford area. And part 3 is from south of Milford to the Elkhart County line.
A third phase may be to widen the corridor from two lanes to three or four lanes.
Souder told the group of county commissioners, councilmen, Warsaw officials, reporters and chamber and business representatives that when Congress debates the transportation bill, it's a fight every time between the big states and the small states so the middle-size states such as Indiana often lose out. Seniority of the congressmen also matters when earmarking dollars.
"This is the first time I've ever had road funds earmarked," said Souder, who's been a member of Congress for 10 years. He's put in requests every year, but this year is the first year he's received them.
When he receives requests for help for funding, Souder said they have to be reasonable and meet standards, including how the projects fit into the "big picture."
Elkhart and Kosciusko counties are in Souder's district and both have large manufacturing companies that rely on the transportation systems, not only in their respective counties but also in Fort Wayne and the surrounding area.
"You have a stake in being able to move people in and out of Allen County because most of the executives are cloistered there," Souder said.
Kosciusko County Highway Department Superintendent and Engineer Rob Ladson said he sent Souder a letter in March requesting the $500,000 for an engineering study of the project. Since that time, the commissioners chose a route and it does take into account tying in to CR 17 in Elkhart County. Of course, since the request in March, costs have increased, including a requirement from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for a study of various plant and animal life along the proposed route. It may cost approximately $30,000 to study if and to what extent bats, rattlesnakes, club shell mussels, fish and rare and endangered plants have habitats along the route.
The $500,000 Souder secured, Ladson said, will help with the actual preliminary engineering design and keep the county on track with the project.
As for help from the state of Indiana, Ladson said in his opinion, the state hasn't shown much interest. "Getting the state's cooperation is one of our challenges."
Kosciusko County has a solution to its traffic problem, Ladson said, the state just needs to get on board.
Souder said it was his understanding that if the county didn't use the half-million dollars in one year, they still will get it, but the county ought to spend it "sooner rather than later so it doesn't get trimmed."
As for getting the state on board, Souder said if the county gets the project going, it becomes a lot harder for people like himself not to make it a priority. [[In-content Ad]]