Zimmer Biomet, others looking to pool money to support US 30 intersection improvements
This post was provided by News Now Warsaw
By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw
WARSAW — The willingness of Steel Dynamics to pony up a significant amount of money for intersection upgrades along US 30 near Columbia City appears to be an idea gaining traction in Kosciusko County.
In mid-November, the Indiana Department of Transportation announced plans for construction of a new interchange and overpass east of the steel factory, marking the third and fourth intersections that now have specific plans in place as the transformation of the east-west highway begins in earnest across northern Indiana.
INDOT expects the cost for the two newest proposals to be upward of $70 million with construction set to begin in less than five years.
Steel Dynamics, without mentioning how much, confirmed to News Now Warsaw in November that they will provide a considerable amount of money to those projects.
That came months after Steel Dynamics and Zimmer Biomet in Warsaw publicly urged INDOT to speed up efforts to transform US 30, in the name of public safety.
Zimmer Biomet wants to see the same thing happen in Kosciusko County.
Jim Lancaster, Senior Vice President, Head of Global Product Development and Executive Director Global Headquarters for Zimmer Biomet, said the move by Steel Dynamics has prompted discussion in Kosciusko County.
“It certainly gives us perspective as to how you help move this process forward a little bit,” Lancaster said.
“This isn’t necessarily a Zimmer Biomet comment, but more as a community member, some of the conversations we’re having is is there a way for us to help pull parts of the community together and come up with some kind of financial catalyst together for this effort,” Lancaster said.
Asked if he could envision other Orthopedic manufacturers in Warsaw working together to contribute funds for US 30 projects, Lancaster shied away from the idea.
“The bigger question is is there opportunity across the broader Warsaw community and or the Kosciusko County Community to see if we can have a similar effect,” Lancaster said.
There might be broader support than in Columbia City because parts of US 30 in Kosciusko County are some of the most dangerous across the entire statewide length of the highway.
Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce President Rob Parker was also asked about community funding for the highway project and said he thinks it could speed up the project.
“There’s no question there are opportunities for the community to raise funds to make it happen,” Parker said.
Parker said he thinks the state government landscape has changed and that he welcomes some cooperation from the private sector to spur the US project.
“Going into a new administration and looking at the financial position of the state, where they’re sitting coming into the new budget session, I think it would be foolish to think that what has happened in the past would continue,” Parker said.
He adds that officials need to determine which intersections should be addressed and then figure out how much money might be needed “to move the needle.”
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