By Daniel Human
SHARPSVILLE — Tipton County residents who want to know how much the U.S. 31 Kokomo Corridor project will affect them can find out Wednesday.
The Indiana Department of Transportation will have an open house at 6 p.m. at Tri-Central High School, 2115 W. 500 North, Sharpsville.
Representatives from INDOT, real estate professionals and engineers from American Structurepoint will answer questions about Contract 4 for the corridor project.
“You can talk with these people about ‘What’s happening in front of my place? Here’s my concern,’” said INDOT spokesman Harry Maginity. “... Actually, we can learn some things from the residents at this time.”
The open house, the likes of which INDOT has routinely had during the project’s early phases, also intends to quell any rumors about what may happen, Maginity said.
Contract 4 includes the southern end of the 13-mile corridor project. The contract’s work will stretch from an interchange at U.S. 31 and 550 North in Tipton County to about a half-mile south of Ind. 26.
The contract, work for which is set to begin in September 2011, also will include 2 miles of new mainline construction, bridges at 600 North and County Line Road and work at the Norfolk Southern Railroad.
The contract is one of 10 for the $345 million Kokomo Corridor.
The entire $1 billion, Major Moves-funded project will connect three bypasses, the other two of which are in Hamilton County and St. Joseph and Marshall counties.
Gov. Mitch Daniels said in January the road should shave an hour off the trip between Indianapolis and South Bend. The majority of the project is scheduled to end in 2013.
• Daniel Human is a Kokomo Tribune staff writer. He can be reached at 765-454-8570 or at daniel.human@kokomotribune.com.
