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Resident urges county to press INDOT after fatal crash at Highway 35 curve
Summary
A LaPorte County resident told commissioners a recent fatal crash at a sharp curve on southbound State Road 35 shows current signage and roadside protection are inadequate and urged the county to press INDOT for guardrails or more warning signs.
Dean White, who lives at 3066 North Highway 35, told the LaPorte County Board of Commissioners on March 18 that a fatal crash at a sharp, downhill curve near the toll-road overpass killed one driver and injured a mother and three children. “This curve has caused dozens of injuries and deaths over the years,” White said, and described a straightaway that suddenly leads into the curve.
White said a second yellow warning arrow that used to mark the curve is gone where a new driveway is under construction and that debris from past crashes remains in the woods. He recommended installing a guardrail with deflectors and adding more signs; he said he had contacted INDOT and the sheriff’s office without success.
The county replied that a commissioner would reach out to a contact at the Indiana Department of Transportation to request another review and consider additional signage. A commissioner said guardrail installation typically involves a larger INDOT process but that adding signs might be an immediate step.
Why it matters: Residents who live near the curve said the location is a recurring public-safety hazard. County officials can request INDOT reviews and may be able to press for interim safety measures such as extra signage, but construction of new guardrails generally requires state review and approval.
What happened next: Commissioners agreed to follow up with INDOT contacts to ask for a re-evaluation and potential additional signage. No formal county action to install a guardrail was taken at the meeting.
Details that remain open: White asked for guardrails and for the county to “educate the statistics and influence INDOT.” The transcript records the county’s promise to contact INDOT but does not record a specific schedule or commitment to a county-funded safety installation.
