12-mile stretch of Hoosier Heartland to open soon

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - The 12-mile stretch of highway will become the new State Road 25 between Interstate 65 in Lafayette and U.S. 421 in Delphi making the commute between the two cities a safer one.

"With the added travel lanes two lanes in each direction, limited access, it's going to greatly improve the safety for the motoring public," INDOT spokesperson Debbie Calder said about the new stretch of road.

The Crawfordsville district of INDOT oversees the portion of the Hoosier Heartland stretching from Lafayette to Delphi, and Calder said weather has played a big role in getting the new stretch of highway open on time.

"Really I think weather-wise they've made a lot of progress this summer and I don't think the rain slowed them down much that we've had recently either," Calder said.

Calder said crews have a few more things to complete before opening the new road including the Interstate 65 Northbound on ramp and the Southbound exit ramp at State Road 25.

She said progress from the dry weather extends to the rest of the project too.

The La Porte district of INDOT oversees the stretch of road between Delphi and Logansport and spokesperson Matt Deitchley said there's only one stretch of the project that's not under construction yet, but it's set to start soon.

"In Cass County 325 West to State Road 29, that's the last contract, and we recently awarded that so that probably will get to work here in the near future if not early next year," Deitchley said.

While the rest of the Hoosier Heartland is being completed the public will have time to adjust to the new roundabout located just East of Interstate 65.

INDOT will be holding a special class for people who may be a little uncomfortable with the change.

"We are going to hold a roundabout school for people that are maybe a little leery about driving a roundabout. It's specifically tailored for this one," Calder said. "We're going to have a smaller version of this roundabout."

While it's important to learn the rules of the road, Deitchley reminds everyone using old State Road 25 to be patient until the entire 36 miles of the Hoosier Heartland open late 2013.

"Slow down and watch for the trucks and the workers going through there," Deitchley. "I mean, it's something that everyone's in a hurry to get to work or school or wherever they're heading. It's not worth it to speed to have something tragic to happen yourself or someone on the roadway that's working."