Published: September 16, 2009 05:30 pm      

Bridge project to test nerves

Cass County highway officials met with county commissioners last week to formulate a plan for dealing with a delayed bridge project.

The stretch of Ind. 25 near Logansport State Hospital originally had been scheduled to reopen this week, but the Indiana Department of Transportation announced that the project will be significantly delayed. The bridge is now set for completion at a date closer to the end of October.

That means that heavy trucks will continue to travel along nearby county roads, and it has police worried about even more accidents.

The extended closing comes at a particularly bad time for area farmers, who are getting ready for the fall harvest season and will soon be hauling grain to the nearby ADM and The Andersons using Ind. 25.

In the meantime, the unusually heavy volume of trucks is taking a toll on county roads, and county highway officials are worried about making repairs in the midst of all the traffic.

With the detour expected to last at least another six weeks, county officials need a plan for dealing with the impact.

In the meantime, officials urge motorists traveling through the area to use caution.

The county roads weren’t built for highway speeds, they say, and this is no time to be driving while texting or talking on a cell phone. They suggest keeping an eye out for deteriorating road conditions and for traffic that might be coming to a surprise stop.

In the end, the bridge project will be finished, and one of these days Ind. 25 will be transformed into the four-lane Hoosier Heartland.

For now, though, this stretch of roadway is going to be a struggle to navigate. Motorists traveling the area need to take a few deep breaths and relax.

If you can find an alternate route, we’d recommend it, but if you can’t, it might not hurt to plan ahead for a longer trip.



– Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, and Kokomo Tribune