Chamber Recognized for Efforts with Fort to Port Project

Governor Mitch Daniels was joined yesterday by Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and over 300 other officials and individuals at the Indiana-Ohio state line to open new sections of the U.S. 24 Fort to Port highway, fulfilling a commitment by both states to “meet at the line in 2009” and marking another step toward connecting Fort Wayne with the Port of Toledo.

The Fort to Port project is part of Governor Daniels’ Major Moves jobs and transportation program and will eventually connect with the Hoosier Heartland Corridor to provide access to cities and towns across north central Indiana to major highways and transportation outlets.

“The waiting is over. Thanks to our Major Moves transaction, a safer road and countless new jobs are finally on their way, without a dollar of new taxes or new borrowing. Hoosiers are showing America how to solve big problems and protect taxpayers at the same time,” said Daniels.

Representative Randy Borror recognized the Fort Wayne Chamber in his opening statements and credited the Chamber with playing "a critical role on the Indiana side".

The 2.9-mile section of new highway and new interchange is the first section to be open to traffic in Indiana. The new section will immediately connect at the state line to a 45-mile section extending to the east side of Napoleon, Ohio. In all, 11.5 miles of divided, limited-access highway, including three new interchanges, east of I-469 to the Ohio state line will be built.

The second section of the Indiana project is currently under construction and the final two sections will be placed for contract bid in 2010 and completed in 2012. The total estimated cost for the project is $170 million.

The Ohio corridor is a total of 58.5 miles and is being constructed in eight phases extending east from the state line to Toledo, Ohio. Five phases are complete with the remaining three phases scheduled to be completed in 2012. The total estimated cost of the project is $402 million.

“We are modernizing this highway not only to create a safer route of travel between these two cities, but also to establish a multi-modal corridor where goods can move efficiently,” said Governor Strickland. “The need for Ohio and Indiana to be strong partners in transportation has never been greater. These projects are key pieces in linking and strengthening the economies of both states.”

In October 2008, Daniels broke ground on construction of the Hoosier Heartland Corridor, a 31-mile, four-lane, limited-access divided highway between Lafayette and Logansport. The project is scheduled to be completed three years ahead of schedule in 2013. The highway will provide greater and safer access from Lafayette to Fort Wayne, where it will link with the Fort to Port corridor, allowing direct access from central Indiana to the deep water ports in Toledo. It will also connect I-65 in Lafayette to I-69 in Fort Wayne via a multi-lane highway.

For more information on the Fort to Port project, visit http://www.in.gov/indot/div/projects/us24/.