Highway department urges leaving speed limit as designed for bridge projects; flags guardrail damage

A highway department representative updated commissioners on federal bridge projects for bridges 56 and 57, saying construction is anticipated in 2030 or 2031 and asking the board whether it prefers to post a 55 mph speed limit or leave the existing limits.

The presenter said consultants (SJCA in the transcript) recommended leaving the current posted limit to avoid additional expense for redesigning roads and guardrails to accommodate a higher speed. "If we change that to 55, it will be a lot more costly to redo the roads and guardrails to suit the 55 mile an hour speed limit," the presenter said. He added that in his career there had been no notable accident history at the site tied to the curve under discussion.

The highway representative also reported recent guardrail damage at 400 North and 100 West from a semi that broke a post; staff said they will arrange repairs and temporary signage and may hire a vendor (Hoosier Pride mentioned in the transcript) to fix it. Staff also raised concerns about contractor use of unapproved truck routes during a recent detour and noted corrective action had been requested.

Commissioners did not take a formal vote on changing speed limits during the meeting; staff said new bridges and signage will be installed as part of the project and that final posting will be addressed at that time.