The Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE —
Among Terre Haute’s community assets is its centrally located Midwest geography, and a transportation network that takes advantage of it.
Of primary importance is the city’s status as a major “crossroads,” which derives historically from the intersection of north-south U.S. 41 and east-west U.S. 40. The emergence of the interstate highway system changed the dynamic and shifted the actual crossroads east and south to Third Street (the new U.S. 41) and I-70.
The benefits of a good transportation network are clear. Commerce of all kinds has been drawn here. Although west-central Indiana has had economic challenges, its location and easy access has kept conditions from being far worse.
While the major thoroughfares have had plenty of upgrades and maintenance through the decades, the extensive network of city streets and highways has not always received the attention it deserved. Fortunately, thanks to the vision of city leaders past and present, recent progress has been abundant.
The rehabilitation of 13th Street south from Poplar Street to Margaret Avenue was one of the early projects that made a positive statement, followed by projects on Hulman Street east from Seventh Street to Fruitridge Avenue, then Fourth Street south of Wabash Avenue to Hulman. This past spring and summer brought great progress on Brown Boulevard between Wabash and Locust Street, on Fruitridge south of Wabash, and the new road construction of Brown between Locust and Maple Avenue.
These are high-impact projects that positively affect traffic flow, as well as improve the ability of neglected portions of the city to draw more commercial and residential development.
Underscoring all of these road improvements is the near-completion of the first phase of the Indiana 641 bypass south of the city and related county road improvements, also scheduled for completion this fall.
Astute planning is key to such progress, but money is what makes it happen. Even when the economy began to sour in 2008 and access to public funding became more difficult, the city was fortunate to tap into federal stimulus funds to help finish projects, such as the one on Brown Boulevard. Being “ready” with a big project was instrumental to securing those funds.
More needs to be done, and plans are in the works. The big project on the drawing board is the widening of Margaret Avenue. An integral part of that project should be finding a way to resolve the railroad crossing aggravations at 19th Street.
We applaud those who’ve remained committed to improving the city’s internal street system. They are seeing the fruits of their labors, and so are Terre Haute residents. We hope the success of these recent projects provides fuel for future improvements and further development of the city’s transportation system.
