Published: August 20, 2008 11:35 am         

Planning for the best starts now

If you’ve ever driven on East Market Street and thought about how much safer the intersection with George Street is now than it was 10 years ago, the answer to how it got that way is simple.

Planning. It eliminated westbound traffic cutting across oncoming traffic to exit onto George Street.

Planning might not be sexy, popular or even something you hear people arguing about at a bar, but it’s important nonetheless. Good planning means eliminating high-risk accident areas and making it easier for motorists to make quick, easy choices in what can be congested, busy areas.

With a little planning, Logansport officials not only made East Market more driver-friendly when the city inherited the intersection from tbe state, it also made the area more pedestrian-friendly. That’s why sidewalks stretch the entire length of not only East Market but West Market throughout the city limits.

I raise this point now because Logansport is in the process of coming up with a new comprehensive plan. Why do it again? That’s because Logansport, like every other city and county that has a comprehensive plan, periodically has to update it. A fresh plan qualifies local government for state and federal dollars that can be matched with local funds to pull off projects cities and counties likely could not pull off alone.

As reported in the Pharos-Tribune Sunday, the process begins Sept. 20 with a kick-off at the high school. For those who care about the future and would like to see the community “steered” a particular direction, here are some thoughts about what items could be included in the next comprehensive plan:

• North/south access. East Broadway and Market Street have long been the cruising streets in the city, but when the Hoosier Heartland Corridor is completed to Lafayette in less than a decade, Burlington Avenue and Third Street will take on greater significance as the new direct route to the city. An interchange already has been planned, but there is the widening of Burlington to think about as well as the viaduct on Biddle’s Island. Why? One careless truck driver unfamiliar with the viaduct could cause problems for rail traffic and car and truck traffic for days.

• Eel River Bridge. The extension of Mall Road north across the Eel has been an on-again/off-again issue. Former County Engineer Jodi Coblentz proposed spanning the river off Yorktown Road. In either respect, another bridge would provide quicker access to the east end from Clay Township, particularly during the 4-H Fair and during normal commute times in the morning and evening.

• Trails/utilities. Extending the Little Turtle Waterway east to 18th Street and west to France Park has taken on greater significance. The emergence of a new Ivy Tech campus off 18th Street since the last comprehensive plan was adopted means future students could take advantage of walking/biking trails to get to and from a campus that now has no sidewalk access. For that matter, sidewalks on East Main Street or from Burlington to the campus also would be a good idea. On the west side, extending the city trail system is timely because of the growth of The Boulders, a subdivision west of the bypass, and because the new trail from Royal Center to Logansport could be realized before Logansport finishes its trail to France Park.

• Huston Park/Aim-Hi Park. Both parks are terrific undertakings, but it would be a terrific tragedy if young people going to or from either park were injured or killed because there weren’t adequate sidewalks to both facilities at the north edge of Logansport.

• Schools. In some areas of the city, it’s difficult for children to walk to school. Hence the demand for and construction of new sidewalks along the Jefferson Street hill since the last plan was adopted. Fairview in particular could use new sidewalks on several narrow streets that have no sidewalks.

• 18th Street. The undulating route that’s traditionally been Logansport’s back door can use some leveling and improvement, which is a job not exactly made simpler by one of the community’s busiest railroad crossings.

• The Unger Addition. With Logansport already facing belt-tightening thanks to the state circuitbreaker law that will cut back revenue for local government, the timing for annexing areas such as the Unger Addition off Cicott Street and Ind. 25 could finally be at hand. In short, Logansport needs more assessed valuation and residents, and that means extending city services to areas outside the city limits. Cass County officials have done a good job of paving streets in the addition, but bacteria levels remain a concern there. Just as city officials acted to ensure safe drinking water by installing new lines, improving Cliff Drive also would be a plus since hundreds of Logansport State Hospital and Indiana Department of Correction employees use the road for an access daily.

• Ind. 25. At some point, some thought has to be given to safe access for Tyson Foods employees who walk or bicycle to work along Ind. 25. There are no sidewalks on either side and workers are often seen crossing the railroad tracks on foot, which has to be hazardous, particularly in dark or inclement weather.

It’s been said that if you fail to plan, you in effect plan to fail. But if you want to plan for the best of times, the planning starts now, if not tomorrow or Sept. 20.

Dave Kitchell is a columnist for the Pharos-Tribune. He can be reached through the newspaper at ptnews@pharostribune.com



Want to go?

What: Kick-off breakfast and community workshop

When: 9 a.m. to noon Sept. 20

Where: Logansport High School cafeteria.