Commissioners stop short of backing reclassification of County Road 20; staff urges alternate route

A representative for Noble County and the City of Kendallville asked DeKalb County commissioners to support a request from the Indiana Department of Transportation to reclassify County Road 20 as a major collector, which would make the corridor eligible for future federal funds.

"There's no commitment by supporting this reclassification, there's no financial commitment, no, any type of commitment at all," the presenter said, urging only that DeKalb County indicate support for changing the road's functional classification so the corridor could later qualify for federal help.

Ben (first name only), a county staff member who works on local roads, strongly objected. "County Road 20 is a rural county road. Five years ago, it was still gravel," he said, noting the route is narrow, runs on peat in places, has ditches right up to the pavement and carries low traffic counts. He warned that reclassifying the road could create liability exposure and, if pursued, could require reconstructing the corridor to collector standards.

Commissioners pressed for options that would reduce risk and costs. Several members suggested routing improvements south on County Line Road to US 6 as a better candidate for reclassification and future funding. Commissioners did not take formal action to endorse the NDOT request. The presenter said he would inform the city and Noble County of the board's concerns and that staff would explore the alternative route to US 6.

The discussion centered on the technical standard and readiness of the corridor for collector status, the limits of DeKalb County's commitment if it merely supported a classification change, and whether federal grants would materialize to pay for reconstruction. No vote or formal motion was recorded on supporting the NDOT reclassification request; the board instead encouraged further coordination and suggested the petitioner consider alternate alignments that better match collector standards.

The county asked the petitioner to return with additional information if they pursue a revised corridor. The board moved on to other agenda items without committing to NDOT's proposed reclassification.