WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - An old underpass in West Lafayette is set to undergo a $12.5 million overhaul.
The Newman Road Bridge is considered unsafe because it's only one lane and it's not very tall. With more economic development expected in Purdue University's aerospace district, including up to 3,500 more jobs, the underpass has to come down.
The plans involve taking the current structure down and replacing it with a modern design. Mayor John Dennis said the bridge has driven interest from developers away from the area in the past.
"We have had people who are interested in developing out that way and one of the major road blocks to that, no pun intended is they could not get heavy traffic through that underpass," said Dennis.
Construction is set to begin in 2020 and wrap up the following year.