AASHTO Journal, 6 December 2013
The Indiana Department of Transportation last week opened a 13-mile portion of the new U.S. 31, constructed to reduce congestion and speed up travel time for drivers, in Kokomo. The project was completed about 40 percent under its original planning budget and two years ahead of schedule.
The $155 million section of U.S. 31 allows vehicles to more easily travel to their destinations by avoiding 15 traffic signals and more than 130 access points along the previous U.S. 31 (renamed State Road 931). The new four-lane freeway extends just east of Kokomo and includes five interchanges. The new section is part of a 20-mile stretch of new U.S. 31 in Hamilton County, which will be completed at the end of 2015. Once completed, the new roadway will remove a total of 32 traffic signals for drivers, which INDOT estimates will save them a half hour of travel time.
“Indiana is finishing what we started by upgrading three congested sections of U.S. 31 between Indianapolis and South Bend,” said Gov. Mike Pence in a statement. “Kokomo is known as ‘The City of Firsts’ so it is appropriate that U.S. 31 in Kokomo is the first new corridor to welcome through traffic—under budget and ahead of schedule—just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday travel.”
The project was identified for construction through the Major Moves program, the state’s 10-year transportation plan to improve and expand Indiana’s highway infrastructure. A total of $2.6 billion was committed to the program from the long-term lease of the Indiana Toll Road, which funded this project.
Additional information on the U.S. 31 project is available here. Video coverage of the project’s ribbon cutting is available here.