NOTICE OF PUBLIC
INFORMATION MEETING
DES# 2003077 and 2101776: Roadway Projects for County
Road 200 South from County
Road 100 East to State Road 1, Wells County
The Wells County Board of Commissioners will host a public information meeting for the proposed projects on Thursday, November 2, 2023, at the Wells County Public Library located at 200 West Washington Street, Bluffton, IN 46714. The public information meeting will begin with a presentation by the project team at approximately 6:00PM EST. The County Engineer and the design team will be available after the presentation for informal discussions until 7:45 PM EST.
The purpose of the public information meeting is to offer all interested people an opportunity to review the current preliminary plans for the projects, speak informally with the County Engineer and design consultant representatives, ask questions, and provide feedback. Opportunities to request a formal public hearing will be offered at a later date.
The need for this project is due to the high volume of train traffic on the Norfolk Southern Railroad in addition to the high volume of heavy truck traffic accessing the nearby Bluffton Ethanol Plant. When trains are stopped on the tracks, there are no elevated crossings available for motorists in the City of Bluffton. According to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the number of trains per day was obtained from data found on the FRA Highway Rail Crossing Inventory data. For this rail line, as of 2022, an average of eight trains uses this line every day between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. and eight trains use this line every day between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. With the average delay per train being approximately 10 minutes, through traffic at the above railroad crossings are delayed approximately 11% of the day. In addition, over the last 32 years, there have been 3 crashes at the CR 200 S crossing involving train collisions, resulting in one injury. CR 200 S has an average annual daily traffic count (AADT) of 1,974 vehicles per day (2020) and a 40-mph speed limit. The purpose of this project is to improve east-west connectivity for truck traffic to bi-pass the City of Bluffton and to provide a safe railroad crossing.
Initial considerations to address the purpose and need of the project includes the installation of grade-separation in the form of a new bridge carrying County Road 200 South (CR 200 S) over the railroad track. In addition, CR 200 S will be realigned slightly to the south at the railroad crossing to reduce the skew which shortens the length of the new bridge. The realignment of CR 200 S would reduce impacts on adjacent residents by allowing portions of the existing CR 200 S to remain open during construction. Further, CR 200 S will be rebuilt from County Road 100 East (CR 100 E) to State Road 1 (SR 1) to provide improved east-west connectivity. Drainage improvements will include new roadside ditches, culverts, storm sewers, and erosion protection. It is proposed to construct this project in two separate phases with Phase 1 being along CR 200 S from CR 100 E to CR 200 E and Phase 2 being from CR 200 E to SR 1.
The total anticipated project length along CR 200 S is 2.0 miles with Phase 1 being 1.0 mile and Phase 2 being 1.0 mile. Approximately 15.0 acres of permanent right-of-way acquisition for the project is anticipated and two potential building demolitions are anticipated. Maintenance of traffic plan is preliminary; however, it is anticipated to be a combination of phased construction with temporary lane closures. Initial stages of construction are expected to begin in Summer 2026.
Federal and state funds are proposed to be used for construction of this project. INDOT and the Federal Highway Administration have agreed that this project poses minimal impact to the natural environment. Therefore, the project is likely to be processed as a Categorical Exclusion.
A link to the public information meeting presentation will be posted to the project website via the project sponsor’s web page (https://wellscounty.org/) by November 3, 2023.
The public is encouraged to provide statements regarding the project utilizing one or more of the following methods: fill out the enclosed comment form and return it to the design consultant (contact information provided below); fill out a comment form at the public information meeting and leave it with the design consultant or County staff members (at any of the project information stations); call or email Neal Bennett, Environmental Scientist for the projects, at 317-713-4615 or nbennett@bfsengr.com.
Persons with limited internet access may request project information be mailed. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and with advance notice, Wells County will coordinate accommodations for persons with disabilities requiring auxiliary aids including, but not limited to sign language interpretation, alternative format documents and other ADA supportive services. In addition, and in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Wells County will coordinate accommodation for persons of Limited English Proficiency (LEP) requiring auxiliary aids and/or supportive services including, but not limited to alternative format documents and other services as needed. Should accommodation be required please contact Wells County Highway Department at ada@wellscounty.org, 1600 W. Washington Street, Bluffton, IN, (260) 824-6430.
This notice is published in compliance with Code of Federal Regulations, Title 23, Section 771 (CFR 771.111(h)(1) states: “Each State must have procedures approved by the FHWA to carry out a public involvement/public hearing program.” 23 CFR 450.212(a)(7) states: “Public involvement procedures shall provide for periodic review of the effectiveness of the public involvement process to ensure that the process provides full and open access to all and revision of the process as necessary.” approved by the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation on July 7, 2021
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