The Town of Hamlet is looking to maximize available state road funds in order to pave its streets. Continue reading
Starke County Highway Department Continues Road Paving Operations
Road paving season is under way in Starke County. Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler says crews wedged a total of five miles of asphalt through the county in June. Plans call for an additional five miles of paving in July. Continue reading
Starke County Highway Department Anticipated Bridge Replacement Savings
The Starke County Highway Department is looking to save a significant amount of money on a bridge project by using materials they already have on hand. Continue reading
Starke County May Suffer Due to State Grant Timeline Extension
Starke County was among the first to have the required road and bridge asset management plan and project list ready for the state transportation grant application process. However, they’re still waiting to find out how much 50/50 matching money they will get for road and bridge projects. Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler told the county commissioners the original June 29th deadline was delayed because a lot of communities didn’t have the required plans together. Continue reading
Starke County Commissioners Add Road to Inventory
The Starke County Commissioners have agreed to add a short stretch of roadway to the county’s inventory. Starke County Economic Development Foundation Executive Director Charlie Weaver asked that the 1/6 mile Industrial Parkway north of 500 North in Hamlet be included in the list of county-maintained roads that is sent to the state. Doing so will ensure Starke County gets credit for the roadway when it comes to state funding distribution. Continue reading
Starke County Officials Work to Address Truck Route Issues
Starke County officials are working to address secondary issues caused by the enforcement of the truck route to and from the Knox Industrial Park. The city does not allow tractor-trailers to use Culver Road to travel between U.S. 35 and County Road 300 East. Continue reading
Starke County Looks to Expand WorkOne Partnership
The Starke County Commissioners hope to expand their success with a WorkOne job training program to other departments within county government. Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler was the first to take advantage of the agency’s offer of free help to teach young people so-called “soft skills” like showing up to work on time, following directions and adhering to a schedule. WorkOne pays the employees to hone their job skills, and there is no cost to the county. Continue reading
Starke County Overhauls Bridge Replacement Standards
The Starke County Highway Department is upgrading some of its bridge replacement standards. Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler says plans for the new bridge on 250 West south of Toto Road over Bogus Run include a longer guardrail. Continue reading
Highway Superintendent Praises WorkOne Partnership
The job training partnership between the Starke County Highway Department and WorkOne is working out well for the county. Continue reading
Highway Superintendent Elaborates on Plans for State Money
Starke County officials hope to use available state funds to significantly accelerate their bridge replacement schedule. Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler told the commissioners Monday evening their asset management plan to apply for matching money from the state includes two projects. Continue reading
Truck Route Implementation Moves Forward
The GPS systems used by over-the-road truck drivers should soon be updated to reflect the truck routes in Knox and North Judson. Starke County Economic Development Foundation Executive Director Charlie Weaver told the county commissioners last night 26 separate GPS providers have accepted the revised routes, but he doesn’t have an implementation schedule just yet. Continue reading
Starke County Council Discusses Road Funding Goals
A committee of Starke County officials recommends accelerating completion of the county’s bridge replacement schedule with one-time transportation money from the state. Continue reading
Council to Discuss Additional Transportation Funds
The Starke County Council will consider a proposal from the highway superintendent with regard to additional state transportation funds when they meet this evening. Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler assembled a road funding committee to discuss options for the one-time appropriation from the state. He also hopes to come up with the required local match to draw down additional funds in order to free up $1 million for additional uses throughout the county over the next five years. Continue reading
WorkOne Expands County Job Training Program
The recently announced job training partnership between the Starke County Highway Department and WorkOne has been expanded. It was initially designed to give young people up to age 24 who are not in high school or college a chance to learn “soft skills” like arriving at work on time and showing up for scheduled shifts. Continue reading
WorkOne, Starke County Highway Department Team Up to Offer Worker Training
Young people looking to gain work experience will have an opportunity to do so this summer after action Monday night by the Starke County Commissioners. They approved a partnership between the county highway department and the local WorkOne office. County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler says it will give young people between the ages of 16 and 24 who are not in high school or college a chance to learn “soft skills” like arriving at work on time and showing up for scheduled shifts. Continue reading
Starke County Officials Finalize Truck Routes
Trucks heading to and from the Knox Industrial Park will have to use State Road 8 for access from all directions. Starke County Economic Development Foundation Executive Director Charlie Weaver met recently with Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler to discuss truck routes. Ritzler says neither County Road 300 East south of Culver Road nor County Road 200 South, which connects to U.S. 35 near Kem-Co, are rated for excessive truck traffic. Continue reading
Knox Council Discusses Truck Route GPS Updates
Making necessary updates to GPS systems to reflect truck routes is a more involved process than City of Knox and Starke County officials initially realized. Last month Knox started enforcing its truck route ordinance, which prohibits through traffic weighing more than 10 tons with more than three axles from using Culver Road and other surface streets to get from U.S. 35 to the Knox Industrial Park on 300 East/Klockner Drive. Continue reading
Highway Department Realizes Winter Supply Savings
The mild winter resulted in considerable savings for the Starke County Highway Department. Superintendent Rik Ritzler told the county commissioners Monday evening they used 25 percent less sand and 50 percent less salt compared to last year. Continue reading
Starke County Plans for Road Funding Infusion
The road funding bill approved in the final days of the legislative session will provide a significant cash infusion for Starke County. Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler told the commissioners Monday night the county stands to get $800,000 for local road repairs. He adds there are requirements as to how the money can be spent. Continue reading
Highway Superintendent Talks Truck Routes
The Starke County Highway Department is keeping an eye on alternate routes trucks are taking to access the Knox Industrial Park while planning for a long-term solution. The City of Knox recently started enforcing a truck route to keep tractor-trailers off Culver Road and other residential streets. The marked truck route uses State Road 8 to 300 East. Starke County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler says some over-the-road drivers are also turning by Kem-Co and taking 200 South. Continue reading
