Starke County Highway Department Continues with Traffic Studies

Posted on November 10, 2017
Author Anita Goodan, WKVI

The Starke County Highway Department is continuing an effort to conduct traffic studies in order to collect data for a proposed U.S. 30 freeway that will travel through northern Starke County.

A coalition is putting together suggestions to present to INDOT that would include benefits to Starke County in a U.S. 30 freeway proposal between Valparaiso and Fort Wayne. In that stretch, the only way to get across U.S. 30 would be with an overpass, and the only way to get on will be at an interchange.

Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler told the Starke County Commissioners this week that they’ve collected several pieces of information during the county’s traffic studies.

“We’ve been doing accident data, speed data, vehicle types, and traffic counts at all of the intersecting roads,” said Ritzler. “We’re going to continue to do that throughout the year. The more information we gather the better when it comes time to work with INDOT in the planning process and see what we have to work with when there’s limited access on U.S. 30.”

He added that the highway department has completed studies on all of the roadways. There are about 50 intersections and nearby roads left to complete.

The highway department will soon get some additional equipment help when conducting this work.

“The Starke County Economic Development Foundation has agreed to purchase another one of the radar recorders for us. We did that as a department, but they’re going to purchase one for us as well. We’ll be able to double the efforts that we’re doing now. I told you that it would take about a year or two to do it. Now we can do it in about six months to a year.”