HH Corridor coming along
By Kevin Schnepp Staff writer

The planned path of the Hoosier Heartland Corridor Land through Carroll County (purple line) is shown. Land acquisitions are scheduled to begin in Carroll County in 2010, with construction to end by 2014. A more detailed map and schedule should be available within 60 days according to Indiana Department of Transportation.

If you feel you are in the dark when it comes to plans regarding the Hoosier Heartland Corridor, rest assured you are not alone. When the Indiana Department of Transportation undertakes a large project, many times details of how the project will affect certain areas are not clarified until later in the process.

Accordingly, Carroll County residents, businesses and officials are aware the planned Hoosier Heartland Corridor will dissect the county diagonally, but precisely where and when are yet to be determined.

As shown in the map to the right, plans provided by INDOT show roughly where the 1,000 foot-wide path of the four-lane limited access highway is planned.

Some businesses, including Auto Express car wash, Tri- State Cob and the former Anderson's store lie in the path of the highway and will be removed.

The Carroll County segment from the western county line to near CR500W. is considered part of phase two of the highway's construction. Phase three will begin where phase two leaves off and continue to just past Clymers.

Plans call for Carroll County land acquisitions to begin in 2010, with construction of the highway to be completed by 2014.

Daryl Smith, director of Carroll County Economic Development Corp. (CCEDC), said the new highway is a top priority among county businesses and governing officials. He said even though not everything is known, the county should act now to prepare for what is to come.

"We need to work on infrastructure," he stated. "We have advantages we can offer, including lower tax rates." Although the highway's route should fall within a 1,000-foot path, Smith said it is important to note the map and corresponding report are two years old and things can change rapidly.

"All of this is fluid," he stated.

Currently, three types of intersections are planned for the highway within the county.

First, an at-grade intersection, where two roads intersect relatively level, is planned on the north side of Rockfield. Two more are planned at Burrows, and another on CR800W, south of Delphi. At-grade intersections typically involve stop signs or stop lights.

Second, grade-separated intersections, which include a bridge, are planned but details regarding where those might be were not available.

Third, an interchange with grade separation will be located where the corridor will intersect with US421 south of Delphi. Intersections of that type call for on-and-offramps with signals or signs where needed.

A newer version of the route is expected to be released by INDOT in approximately two months. The expected release should include more detail regarding which roads will intersect, what types of intersections those will be, and what roads will dead-end because of the highway. The version will be suitable as a "field check" and should provide enough detail to show how the route will impact individual properties.