If you’ve traveled on U.S. 20 west of Middlebury, you know the traffic struggle there. It’s hard to cross a lane to turn into a business and you can’t pass if you’re caught behind a slow-moving vehicle.
Relief may be on the way, however. The Indiana Department of Transportation is looking at expanding that stretch of U.S. 20, according to the Elkhart Truth.
Right now, INDOT has tentative plans to add a center-turn lane ot U.S. 20 from S.R. 15 east to C.R. 35 near Northridge High School. Safety concerns are keeping INDOT from expanding that area further. Critics say adding just a turn lane wouldn’t do much to speed up traffic.
An INDOT spokeswoman did tell The Elkhart Truth that the project still could expand to add an additional lane going each way, along with a center turn lane. However, costs like buying property along the roadway may prove too costly for INDOT.
The approximate $2.4 million project would start in 2018, according to the Michiana Area Council of Governments.
A 2.7 mile stretch of U.S. 20 between Elkhart and C.R. 17 widened from two to five lanes about a year ago. That project cost just shy of $10 million.
