Elected officials and businesses in Tipton are fighting to convince the state to build a full interchange on U.S. 31 and Division Road after learning funding for the project had been pulled, raising concerns the county could end up with only one access point to its largest highway. Tipton County Commissioner Jim Mullins said officials and businesses in August were informed by the Indiana Department of Transportation that a full interchange was funded and ready for construction at that intersection. An interchange at Division Road would give the county two access points to U.S. 31 once it becomes limited access. The other is Indiana 28, where a $17-million interchange opened in 2016 providing access to Tipton and the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles transmission plant. But now, the roughly $20 million project is in jeopardy after its funding was pulled by the state.The money meant to go towards the interchange was part of Gov. Holcomb’s plan announced last year to use the state’s surplus funds to pay cash for road projects on U.S. 31. However, that money was never allocated by the Indiana Legislature, leaving INDOT with insufficient funding to pay for the interchange. Now, as the state pours money into fighting the coronavirus pandemic and waits to see how it will impact tax revenue, there are no plans to allocate the state’s surplus money for U.S. 31 projects. That doesn’t mean an interchange is off the table. INDOT is now also considering less expensive alternatives at Division Road, including building an overpass or only allowing right turns onto the highway.
Kokomo Tribune
Carson Gerber
05/01/2020