Organizations Partner to Encourage Highway Development
Posted
Staff Report-
OrthoWorx, the Corporate Partnership for Economic Growth and the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership today announced an agreement to encourage the development of highway access. The aim of the cooperative effort is to convene and engage stakeholders to increase the awareness of challenges represented by the current status of U.S. 30 and to develop a long-term effort to create interstate-like access from Ind. 49 in Valparaiso to Interstate 69 in Fort Wayne, and to better connect with available north-south routes, according to the announcement. U.S. 30 serves as the primary east-west throughway for many communities across Northern Indiana. From Fort Wayne to Valparaiso, U.S. 30 serves as “the interstate” for the attraction of new businesses, the operation of existing businesses and for residents seeking to connect to markets west of Chicago and southeast of Fort Wayne. Movement of products and employee travel are critical for the Warsaw-based orthopedic industry cluster and depend on U.S. 30 as well, says the announcement. “We look forward to working with our partners and other stakeholders who will come along beside us to investigate how improvements to our main east-west artery could improve quality of life and economic development prospects along the corridor,” said Sheryl Conley, president and CEO of OrthoWorx, whose affiliate, the Orthopedics Capital Foundation, is providing funding for this project. “We know that transportation and logistics are a major factor in how businesses choose to concentrate their resources and the same factors affect safety and convenience for all of our citizens. We appreciate the willingness of CPEG and NEIRP to join us in this effort.” Improving U.S. 30 has been identified as a top priority by each of the Conexus regional logistics councils in Northeast, North Central and Northwest Indiana, which were formed to provide regional input to the Indiana Department of Transportation in its planning. Industry typically avoids developing along bottleneck routes, and resident safety rapidly declines along congested highways, says the announcement. OrthoWorx, CPEG and NEIRP will work in concert with Conexus and their partners to identify resources to lead the engagement and awareness effort. INDOT has studied cost estimates and is reviewing the potential economic impact of US 30 improvements. “Industry leaders have highlighted the need to improve U.S. 30 to ensure the long-term economic health of the corridor,” commented Shawn E. Peterson, CPEG president and CEO. “We hope that this effort will encourage the engagement of stakeholders throughout Northern Indiana and identify pathways to make these improvements a reality.” “Transportation access to major interstates is clearly a Northeast Indiana priority in the Vision 2020 process,” said John Sampson, NIRP president and CEO. “We are very pleased to be a part of leading this transformative initiative for northern Indiana.” In 2012, the economic development leaders across the corridor convened and committed to helping support improving U.S. 30 and furthering the proposed effort. Northwest Indiana organizations like the Starke County Economic Development Corp. and the Porter County Economic Development Alliance, are also supporting the effort. The partners in the project say in the release that the effort will not compete with existing efforts to complete U.S. 31. The partners, who are devoting a combined $130,000 over two years to the project, are in the process of selecting a consulting firm to coordinate stakeholder input and communications efforts and hope to conclude that part of the process by year-end.
