Indiana Lincoln Highway Association is hosting a series of public meetings to discuss the Indiana Lincoln Highway Byway Corridor Management Plan. The scheduled public meeting for Kosciusko, Whitley and southern Noble counties is today from 5 to 7 p.m. at Center Lake Pavilion, 119 E. Canal St., Warsaw. Another meeting is Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Marshall County Historical Society Museum, 123 N. Michigan St., Plymouth. Public talks were held last month in Fort Wayne, Goshen, South Bend, LaPorte and Dyer. The format of the meetings includes a presentation about the history of the byway, and the audience is broken into small groups for discussion of such items as elements, structures and signs that should be highlighted and preserved along the corridor; tourism opportunities; and signage. Written comments may be sent to Jeff Blair at jeffblair87@gmail.com by June 30. The ILHA was awarded a federal National Scenic Byways Grant, which is being administered through the Indiana Department of Transportation, Fort Wayne District, for a comprehensive development plan for the corridor. The corridor was named a state byway in October 2012 and may be nominated for National Scenic Byway status, according to the ILHA. That program requires the development of 14 specific criteria for the long-term management, preservation and marketing of the corridor. The ILHA has contracted with Abonmarche, a South Bend consulting firm, to help craft the corridor management plan, which is expected to be completed by the end of this year. The ILHA is aimed at identifying, preserving, interpreting and improving access to the two routes of the Lincoln Highway and associated sites in Northern Indiana. The organization pursues measures to prevent further deterioration, destruction or alteration of the remaining Lincoln Highway sections. Completed in 1930, the Lincoln Highway is a transcontinental route from Times Square in New York to Lincoln Park in San Francisco. Today it corresponds primarily to U.S. routes 30, 80, 50 and 40.
