State Road 8 Remains Closed in Southern LaPorte County, Repairs to Start this Summer

Posted on April 30, 2018
Author Michael Gallenberger, WKVI

Drivers can expect a portion of State Road 8 to remain closed at least through the summer. The Indiana Department of Transportation says significant repairs are needed to the stretch of State Road 8 between U.S. 421 and State Road 39, following damage from February’s floods.

INDOT officials say they’re done testing the road, and now they’ve begun designing a repair project. They expect construction to start this summer, but they warn that it will be a substantial project. Because of that, INDOT says it’s likely that State Road 8 will remain closed through the summer and maybe longer.

INDOT officials stress that the road is not safe to travel on, until repairs are made. Those who disregard closure signs may be ticketed.

Starke County Commissioners Lower Speed Limit on State Road 8

Published: February 9, 2015
By: Mary Perren, WKVI

The speed limit on State Road 8 east of Knox has been lowered from 55 to 45 miles per hour in anticipation of opening the new Starke County Jail in a few months. INDOT did a quick study based on a request from local officials and agreed to reduce the speed limit out to the railroad tracks due to the increased traffic count that the jail will create.

Tentative plans call for the facility to open in June, but new speed limit signs are already in place. Starke County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler told the county commissioners he believes the lower limit will make it safer for officers entering and leaving the facility.