With C.P. at helm, 109th ready to rollFebruary 11, 2007
By letting Crown Point take the lead on designing the new Interstate 65 interchange at 109th Avenue, the Indiana Department of Transportation is ensuring the project will finish at least seven years sooner than it would if the state had handled it.
The $17.7 million project will start in summer 2008 and should finish by late 2009.
If INDOT handled the design engineering, the agency wouldn't be able to finish until at least 2015 because it has so many other projects on tap, said Bill Meeks, Crown Point's engineer.
"They have literally hundreds of thousands of projects to shepherd, so we went to INDOT and volunteered to take the lead. It's easy for us to devote attention to the project and push it along to make it happen," he said.
Though municipally led projects of that magnitude are rare, INDOT granted permission. It helped that Meeks used to work for the state agency.
"He is very good. We have a lot of confidence in him," said INDOT spokesman Gary Abell. "We know this project is very important, and we felt comfortable with their ability to move forward with doing it. We don't want it to wait another 10 years."
An interchange at 109th Avenue is important for Crown Point because the city's east side is growing quickly. Drivers currently have to access I-65 by driving south to U.S. 231 or battling traffic at busy U.S. 30.
The interchange will also promote more commercial growth along Broadway, Meeks said.
The city is negotiating a contract with URS, one of the world's largest design engineering firms, to handle the project. The federal government will pay for 80 percent of the cost, and the state will pay the rest.
The plan is for a spread diamond configuration, which features straight ramps and stoplights rather than loops like the cloverleaf at U.S. 30.
Though loops can handle more traffic, straight ramps are easier for drivers, Meeks said. The 109th interchange won't be as busy as U.S. 30 so a loop configuration isn't necessary, he said.
The Federal Highway Administration said INDOT was OK to allow Crown Point to take control of the project, said FHA division administra