NASHVILLE, Ind. (AP) - A project to turn a rural lane near an Indiana forest into a wide asphalt road has begun nearly 30 years after local residents and nature preservationists thought they’d convinced transportation officials to forgo the plans.
The project near Yellowwood State Forest faded from construction schedules until last month, when the Indiana Department of Transportation began clearing trees near an old gate bridge that’s being replaced by a $2.5 million one with three spans, The Herald-Times (https://bit.ly/2ocw6fZ ) reported.
A group called Friends of Yellowwood collected 1,500 signatures on petitions in 1990 opposing the project.
“Our concern was if it got paved, it would become a cut-through between (Ind.) 45 and 46, and they would have to widen the road a lot and disturb more land,” said Linda Baden, who lives on a gravel section of the road, near the lake. “So that it is staying gravel on that portion is a very good thing.”
The group asked for a more modest road instead.
“It’s like a kid coming in and asking for a sandwich and his parents making him eat a 12-course meal,” resident Bill Breeden said.
Officials have touted the road improvements as the best way to address erosion and flooding. Department spokesman Harry Maginity said the project will also allow more people access to the area.
“We do listen to people, but sometimes, you can’t accommodate what everyone wants,” Maginity said, “We are past that stage. We are building that road.”
Section one of the long-stalled $4.6 million project is along 3.6 miles of a road in Jackson and Washington townships that experiences frequent flooding. The first phase of the project is expected to be finished by November, and bids for phase 2 are expected this July.
___
Information from: The Herald Times, https://www.heraldtimesonline.com
Please read our comment policy before commenting.