"Thumbs Up" from public on final Five Points intersection plan

SOUTH BEND — It's been talked about for more than a decade, but now, final plans in place for a facelift to one of Indiana's most infamous and potentially dangerous intersections. Hundreds gathered Thursday to give their input on proposed changes to "five points" in South Bend. Many people initially opposed the changes when they were first unveiled in 1999, saying they robbed the Northeast neighborhood of its character and replaced it with concrete and asphalt. But, since then, improvement plans have been drastically changed several times. The Final Plan The latest plan, a $10.5 million proposal, would widen the roadway to four lanes from Campeau Street to Twyckenham Road, separated by a landscaped median, with left turn lanes at side street openings. In addition, the road's new route would curve east of Eddy Street, eliminating the five points intersection. Campeau Street would be extended west to intersect with Notre Dame Avenue. Corby Boulevard would be connected to Howard Street via an "S" curve. How badly is the work needed? Ask a few drivers in the area, you're likely to find out. "It's terrible. Absolutely terrible," said Christy Ragland, sitting at a stoplight on the east side of the intersection. "It's just too much. You can't turn. It's confusing. It's terrible." "It's crazy," agreed driver Debbie Wilkerson. "I never try to make a turn. I just go straight, because I just feel unsafe." Other drivers put it more simply. "I absolutely hate this intersection," said Christine McQuisten. "I avoid it at all costs if I can." The problem? For many drivers, it's unavoidable as the main artery between downtown South Bend and the city's Northeast side. Michael Rose rents a home near the intersection, and says he sees the problems every day. "It's congested. There's road rage. People are blowing their horn at each other. It's a mess," he said. And problems on that stretch of Indiana 23 have been well documented. On average, State Road 23 sees 445 crashes per 100 million miles traveled. That's more than twice the state average. In fact, engineers from Indiana's Department of Transportation recently gave the five points intersection a grade of "F." Engineers believe the mainline road itself would also warrant a failing grade by 2017 if current issues are not addressed. With traffic expected to climb to more than 31,000 vehicles per day by 2017, INDOT engineers knew something had to be done. So, they came up with a new plan. "After 15 separate meetings, the project presented tonight--all parties agree--best meets the needs of the community, as well as the safety of the roadway," said INDOT LaPorte District Spokesman Joshua Bingham. A Vast Departure It's a drastic departure from the first two plans developed in the late 1990's, which shifted the road to the north instead of the south in order to avoid homes nearby. There were several problems with the initial plans, INDOT officials said during a public hearing on the new proposal Thursday night at Perley Elementary School. First, the road had to be diverted at an awkward angle in order to avoid the South Bend public housing complex on State Road 23. Future mixed income housing developments would have been put in jeopardy as well as the east end of Corby Boulevard, and several other streets would be closed. Most of all, officials said, nearby residents weren't happy with the plan. "It was going to be like the state road 23 out by Martin's [Supermarket]-- just concrete. And the neighborhood said no," said Marguerite Taylor of the Northeast Neighborhood Revitalization Organization. "And, to their credit, INDOT said OK, and went away for ten years." But, Thursday night, many of those same residents from a standing room only crowd of nearly 150 people, were singing a different tune. One after another, they stood to voice their support for the newly designed project, including neighborhood organizations and a representative from nearby Notre Dame. Taylor says there's one simple reason why. "I truly believe residents had input into the final plan. It's not perfect. There is some tweaking that needs to be done. But, we think it's as good as it's going to get," she said. But, some aren't totally convinced. Land Acquisition In order to shift the road to the south, INDOT will have to buy, then knock down 45 homes and one commercial building--the former Frankie's Barbecue restaurant, which now sits vacant. But, St. Joseph County Commissioner Andy Kostielney, who works near the five points intersection, says many of the homes are vacant too. "I think there are only 1-2 owner occupied homes at the moment," he said. "There are quite a few rentals, but many of them are sitting empty now too." Current INDOT records list 10 of the 45 homes as vacant, and all but a small number of the remaining 35 as rental units. Landlord Mark Kramer of Kramer Properties owns six of the rental homes, and about 1.5 acres surrounding them. All are currently occupied. Even so, he says he's not opposed to progress and thinks it's time for a change. "I think it's a good project. I think it's a sorely needed project, actually. My only concerns are for myself and the property owners for the fairness of INDOT. You hear the horror stories, and I'm not saying that will occur. But, I'm concerned about fairness in acquisition. As long as the properties are fairly assessed, that's going to be the key," he said. "We have independent appraisers develop fair market values for their properties," Bingham responded. "Once we present that to the homeowner and explain the process, they usually see that it's pretty fair and they go along with it." Several others also voiced concerns at Thursday's hearing. Phil Slat, owner of a laundromat on Corby Blvd. near South Bend Avenue told officials he worries a re-routing of the road away from his store will cause his customer base to drop by 25-30 percent. "It could mean the death of my business," he said. Neighborhood resident Jill LaFountain said she, and many of her neighbors, are worried about the safety of children walking to and from local schools. "You've got Perley, St. Joe Elementary, and maybe soon St. Joe High School [in the former St. Joseph Regional Medical Center campus], and a lot of that traffic is going to be coming down LaSalle and Colfax now," LaFountain said. "You're going to have more students and children and more traffic. Maybe the road can take the traffic, but there's a safety issue with the children. How are they going to be crossing the street?" she continued. Still, none at Thursday's hearing stood up in complete vocal opposition to the project. The Green Light "I think everyone at this point knows it's going to happen, and they want it to happen so they can move on with their life," Taylor said. "I think a lot of people are very excited," Kostielney agreed. "Once construction begins, they may be a little less excited for a few months. But, I think a lot of people are really looking forward to this." If the state approves the final plan, final right-of-way acquisition and engineering would being this summer, with construction bids planned for letting in early 2012. INDOT expects construction to wrap up by 2013. INDOT will accept public comment on the proposed improvements through March 8, 2010. Comments can be emailed to rclark@indot.in.gov or mailed to the following address: INDOT, Room N642 100 N. Senate Ave. Indianapolis, IN 46204