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Preliminary options for the Western Alternate Route project presented Tuesday night included doing nothing and four alternatives.
Of the four alternatives, alternative No. 1 is the simplest, according to Joe DeFronzo of The Troyer Group, the engineering firm for the corridor study.
Alternative No. 1 would include upgrading the segment of Ind. 15 in downtown Warsaw from the existing intersection at Detroit Street and Winona Avenue to the Buffalo Street/Fisher Avenue/Boydstone Street intersection. That segment is approximately one-half mile long. Also, a new bridge crossing Eagle Creek east of Buffalo Street would have to be constructed.
Alternative No. 2 begins at the Ind. 15 and CR 400S intersection. After crossing Ind. 25, the route would follow the CR 300W alignment to U.S. 30 at the old rest area. Two new bridges crossing the CSX Railroad and Tippecanoe River and a new grade-separated interchange at U.S. 30 would need constructed. The existing at-grade intersections on U.S. 30 at CR 350W and Fox Farm Road would be eliminated due to the proximity of the new interchange. This route is approximately 8.4 miles from Ind. 15 to U.S. 30 and would continue north for another 12.3 miles to the Kosciusko/Elkhart county line, following either CR 200W or CR 300W.
Alternative No. 3 also begins at the Ind. 15 and CR 400S intersection and after crossing Ind. 25, follows CR 350W to U.S. 30 at the old rest area. Two new bridges, crossing the CSX Railroad and Tippecanoe River, and a new grade-separated interchange at U.S. 30 would need to be built. The existing at-grade intersections on U.S. 30 at CR 350W and Fox Farm Road would be eliminated due to the proximity of the new interchange. This route is approximately 8.3 miles from Ind. 15 to U.S. 30. Also included is the option for continuing north approximately 12.3 miles to the county line, including following CR 200W or CR 300W from U.S. 30.
Alternative No. 4 is still further west of alternatives Nos. 2 and 3 with additional changes. No. 4 begins at the Ind. 15/CR 400S intersection and after crossing Ind. 15 follows the CR 400W alignment to Old U.S. 30 and crosses CR 350W to U.S. 30 at the old rest area. One new bridge crossing both the CSX Railroad and Tippecanoe River and a new grade-separated interchange at U.S. 30 would need to be constructed. The existing at-grade intersections on U.S. 30 at CR 350W and Fox Farm Road would be eliminated. This alternative is about 9.2 miles from Ind. 15 to U.S. 30 and includes the CR 200W/CR 300W option for continuing another 12.3 miles north to the county line.
"These were the ones that seemed feasible on first approach," said DeFronzo.
Included in the alternatives is 1,000 feet of "wiggle room," said Steve J. Benczik, senior civil engineer and project manager with The Troyer Group.
Each of the possible alternative routes will be evaluated on the same criteria against doing nothing, he said. Those evaluations include consistency with local plans, potential safety benefits, traffic capacity benefits, economic development benefits, environmental impacts, right of way and relocation impacts and probable cost.
"There will be a preliminary alternative that will be better than doing nothing at all and the other ones," Benczik said. A preferred alternative has not yet been decided, he said, but the advisory committee on the project hopes to have one within one to two months. A meeting on the preferred alternative may be held in late August or September.
Before the question-and-comment period of the meeting, Benczik read a letter from Chris Garza, a committee member and CR 350W resident, who could not attend due to illness. In short, her letter said that it is apparent that a bypass is necessary to keep up with the county's growth. County roads are not adequate for the daily truck traffic.
One man in the crowd said the southern tip of the alternatives near Devil's Backbone on Ind. 25 was in an older wetland that would have heavy expenses to relocate it. It may even be too expensive for the county to make the route go through that portion. Also, there is lots of contamination to clean up there, he suggested.
Another individual asked, "Why don't you have a similar access coming from Ind. 15 north of Warsaw as you do the south side?"
Benczik said the multimillion dollar project will be completed in phases, though they aren't certain how many phases there will be. Some of the phases will include addressing Ind. 15's needs north of U.S. 30.
Another man suggested that the bypass should not have stop signs or lights if they want to keep traffic going. Otherwise, he said, the county will have the same problem of bottleneck traffic as they do now. Another man said when the new U.S. 30 was built, there were promises of no stop signs or stop lights on it either, but that proved to be false.
Benczik said none are planned at this time, but it doesn't mean there won't be, as there will be crossing traffic from the county roads.
"Every new road is not a freeway," said DeFronzo.
When asked about costs for the project, Benczik said 80 percent will be paid by the federal government and 20 percent must come from local matching funds. The state does not want to be involved in the project at this time. Costs for each of the alternatives will not be available until the next public meeting.
One woman said the Tippecanoe River is a natural resource. The county must not do anything to damage it because the county hasn't done anything yet to protect it. Benczik said before they do anything near the waterway, they have to get the proper permits.
The Western Alternate Corridor Study Project is in Kosciusko County, west of and including Ind. 15 from CR 450S to the north county line. The corridor study area encompasses portions of Jefferson, Prairie, Harrison, Van Buren, Plain and Wayne townships. The study area is approximately 72 square miles.
The purpose of the Western Alternative Route is to improve traffic conditions, improve safety, provide economic development opportunities by establishing a link between Ind. 15, Ind. 25 and U.S. 30, and provide better travel routes.
For more information about the planning, alternatives routes or maps, visit online at www.kcgov.com The information is provided under the "county" option.
Kosciusko County Commissioner Ron Truex said, "We're a long way from getting anything cast in stone. ... We're not much closer than we were three years ago."
