Upgrade US 30 - Whitley County

INDOT Begins Study of US 30

In September 2022, the Indiana Department of Transportation began a Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) study for US 30 across Indiana, divided into east and west segments.

As part of this PEL study, they are seeking input from the public on the conditions of the highway and needs for the future. In addition to occasional formal presentation opportunities, INDOT is holding informal bi-monthly office hours at Peabody Library and locations in Kosciusko and Allen Counties. 

For more information on office hours, the ProPEL US 30 study, and to submit input, visit the project website:

ProPELUS30.com

Upgrade US 30 cover imageLocal US 30 Planning for Whitley County

The Whitley County US 30 Planning Committee is a group comprised of representatives of local business, government, farms, and economic development which has been meeting since November 2015, to develop a concept for a US 30 freeway in Whitley County. The local planning committee is a subgroup of the statewide US 30 Coalition, a 501(c)6 organization with constituent members from each county from Allen to Porter. Its goal is to prepare, plan, and advocate for an interstate-level US 30 freeway across Indiana.

In 2016-17, the Whitley County US 30 Planning Committee met to develop a working concept for upgrading US 30. The committee strived to minimize property acquisitions, minimize displacement of residents and businesses, maximize traffic capacity and through flow, and create opportunities for economic development in the County. These goals produced an idea for a US 30 freeway using the existing alignment with up to eight interchanges at critical residential and economic areas.

In late 2016, the working concept was presented for comment during three stakeholder meetings and four public input sessions, in which over 200 people participated. Informal meetings, phone calls, letters, emails, and Facebook discussions yielded additional comments. That feedback was used to refine the concept and generate the map diagrams which are presented in this report.

The committee did not attempt to generate any precise cost estimates or construction timeline, which would be calculated by those better experienced to do so, such as the Indiana Department of Transportation. However, the committee did define the next steps necessary to pursue implementation of the US 30 concept, both at the local and state levels.

Since the creation of this planning guide in January 2017, the Whitley County US 30 Planning Committee has met occasionally to keep abreast of developments in this project. Key events over the past two years include:

  1. Continued meetings of the Coalition and ongoing advocacy at the state government
  2. Revised interchange concepts, notably that of 400E
  3. INDOT designed a J-turn at 500E, with construction due to start summer 2021
  4. During the 2020 pandemic quarantines, average US 30 traffic decreased only 10%, compared to an average statewide decrease of 18.8%

This is a revised document, updated with more recent figures and reflective of the current status of the US 30 project, both locally and statewide.

In August 2022, collision and traffic data were updated with more recent figures, and intersection design recommendations modified to reflect changing development needs.


Associated Documents