Public information sessions were held this week for ProPEL U.S. 30 and U.S. 31 in Starke and Marshall Counties.
ProPEL study teams presented the public with a brief presentation about the Planning and Environmental Linkages studies within the selected corridors considered for new construction. It was announced this past summer is when they started the planning phase. It is estimated to take one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half years for the planning process.
After the planning process it was announced a review will be done for one to two years with the final design of the project coming after that. It was mentioned the final design could take up to one-to-three years with construction taking up to five years to complete.
The U.S. 30 West study area extends from State Road 49 in Porter County to West County Road 700 North in Fulton County and Beech Road in Marshall County.
The U.S. 31 North study area extends from just south of Eel River in Miami County to just south of the Fulton/Marshall County line.
The ProPEL team explained in their presentation they have no plan on what the overall project will look like. They added they are looking for community involvement to see what is best for each of the local communities along the mentioned corridors. It was encouraged by the ProPEL team to visit ProPELUS30.com or ProPELUS31.com to leave comments and share concerns. ProPEL stated they will use the data received from the community input to better fit the needs of each community involved with the project moving forward.
The deadline to leave your comments and concerns is December 31. The ProPEL team members announced they will share the information they find at the next public meeting some time in the spring. It was mentioned there will be four public input forums throughout the process with this week’s being the first one.
In addition to these public information sessions, study team members will be visiting communities on a regular basis to hold office hours. Those hours can be found on the websites mentioned.
