Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
WINONA LAKE - Residents of CR 250E were able to express their opinions on the reconstruction project of that road Tuesday night at the Winona Lake meeting.
CR 250E will be completely reconstructed in the next two years and the CR 250E Committee wanted to get input from the citizens living along that road.
The reconstruction will be from U.S. 30 to Pierceton Road, which is both a county and city road. Winona Lake is in partnership with the Kosciusko County commissioners to cover the cost. The county will provide $155,000 and Winona Lake will be responsible for the rest. Eighty percent of the construction will be covered by the state and 20 percent will be covered locally. The approximate cost of the project is $325,000.
Because there will be total removal of the pavement on that road, access will be limited but not denied. How long the project will take is uncertain, according to the Bonar Group, the engineering firm that is overseeing the project. The reconstruction may not start for a couple of years.
"We want to start as quickly as possible," said Bonar representative Wes Downey.
Some of the improvements on the road will include lowering the road 18 to 24 inches, adding curbs and gutters, left turn lanes in all four directions on Wooster Road and possibly a left turn lane for southbound traffic on Pierceton Road.
The addition of a sidewalk was a big issue at the meeting. The new building for Lakeland Christian Academy on CR 250E will be completed in October. There was some concern expressed for the children walking to that school. Most traffic around the school, however, will be vehicular.
The rumor of Jefferson School on Kings Highway moving to CR 250E territory was cleared up, too. The school will not be moved so the addition of a sidewalk will not be beneficial to that, either.
"I personally think that the sidewalk is a waste of the town's money," said CR 250E resident Max Fluke.
The sidewalk was decided against with the possibility of adding one later. If the sidewalk is built later, 100 percent of the cost will be covered by the town and taxes.
Lynnette Whitaker was concerned about having to take down the fence on her property that is too close to the road. Bonar assured her that any imposition on the residents will be compensated by the town.
The speed limit also will be changed. The speed limit now outside town limits is 55 miles per hour, and inside the town is 30 mph. In the future, it will be "probably in the 35 to 45 range," said Craig Allebach, Winona Lake town manager.
Traffic increase also was a concern. A traffic study in 1995 stated that the annual average daily traffic was approximately 6,274 vehicles per day. Anticipated for 2001 will be 10,281 vehicles per day.
Bonar hopes to have future meetings with the public to keep them informed of the plans. They say it is important to keep the public up to date.
"We need to keep communication open," said town council president Jerry Clevenger. "If there are any major problems, let us know."
