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Commission hears Strand presentation on traffic and land-use study for bypass corridor
Summary
Consultants from Strand presented maps and traffic inputs for a study covering parcels near the bypass and Casey's; commissioners recommended likely development sites, raised access and roundabout concerns, and confirmed traffic counts that will be used in trip-generation calculations.
Consultants presented a traffic and land-use study to the Jennings County Development Commission, asking commissioners to identify parcels likely to develop in the next 10–20 years so the team can use realistic trip-generation assumptions.
A Strand representative walked the commission through study intersections and candidate parcels near the bypass and Casey's. The consultant explained map colors and likely uses — "Red is currently zoned commercial for mixed use, and then purple is zoned industrial" — and asked commissioners whether to model specific commercial uses (for trip-generation purposes) or use broader categories. Commissioners noted that different commercial uses create very different traffic impacts and offered local knowledge about likely industrial and commercial clusters.
Commissioners discussed timing and funding: consultants said five to six years is a common minimum from planning to construction for projects of this scale, and attendees noted the state has reduced funding for some large projects. The consultant provided two-way traffic counts used for study inputs: "the 7's got about 10 to 12,000" and "50's got about 7,000," which the consultant said yields roughly 20,000 two-way daily vehicle trips for the combined corridors; those counts will feed the trip-generation calculations that drive the remainder of the study.
Attendees identified several local drivers of growth — a new road from the high school to the bypass, right-of-way acquisitions, and privately funded development — and discussed whether roundabouts, medians or additional access points would be necessary to serve future traffic. The consultant said the calculations of added trips from potential development will determine recommended improvements and that the final report will reflect locally verified assumptions.
The commission did not take additional action beyond providing input and requesting documentation; staff and the consultant will refine assumptions and circulate updated materials before finalizing the study.
