A portion of Winfield's 109th to close for five months

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BY ANN MARIE CAMPBELL
TIMES CORRESPONDENT | Saturday, June 07, 2008 | (5 comment(s))

WINFIELD |The five-month closing of a major east-west thoroughfare between Winfield and Crown Point is sure to contribute to driving headaches already present in this south Lake County town.

The Lake County Highway Department announced it will be closing 109th Avenue at Colorado Street for bridge repairs Monday in a project expected to last five months. The county plans to detour traffic north on Colorado to 97th Avenue, then east to Randolph Street.

But some Winfield residents will experience a bit more inconvenience because only three of the town's roads -- Colorado, Arizona, and Grand -- run north from 109th, and Arizona and Grand present additional problems.

Arizona runs from 109th to 101st Avenue, but 101st running west has been closed by the town of Merrillville for the past six months because of flooding. Merrillville Public Works Director Bruce Spires has said 101st will not reopen anytime soon as the town is in litigation with a Winfield resident who is alleged to have caused the flooding.

And Grand Boulevard, although passable, needs major repairs, which Winfield officials hope to begin at summer's end. The intersection of Grand and 109th also has been the site of several accidents because of a restricted "line of sight" coming off Grand, town officials said.

Ongoing construction development also will be affected by the road projects and closings.

Thieneman Homes is developing the Wyndance subdivision on the south side of 109th, and Ken Thieneman said work on the road will hamper the project. His concrete trucks coming from Crown Point will use 117th Avenue east to State Street, and then north to reach 109th. But Thieneman is concerned about safety on 117th.

"They had better slow down traffic heading west on 117th because there is a series of blind curves," he said. "It could be an accident waiting to happen."

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Commuter wrote on Jun 9, 2008 12:04 PM:

" I use 109th twice a day to travel to and from work. I cross the bridge and use the blind corner. It will hamper my travel but I can understand that it needs addressed. And it needs addressed BEFORE the I-65 and 109th exchange construction takes place. The only concern I have is the 101st flooding needs resolved. Fix it now and bill the responsible party later. I enjoy the "boonies", alot less smog and crime. How do you put a price on that? "

Go Figure wrote on Jun 7, 2008 3:58 PM:

" Why didn't these clowns from Lake County repair the bridge when the road was being repaired? "

watchful eye wrote on Jun 7, 2008 12:17 PM:

" Thanks to our wonderful reactive lake county officials. We are in this mess because they haven't addressed the road problem for years! "

Not the only problem wrote on Jun 7, 2008 10:30 AM:

" You also have rising gas prices that make Development in the boonies ignorant. It seemed like a good idea 10-20 years ago, but the foresight was wrong. Not only do these towns have dilapidated roads, it costs hundreds and soon thousands of dollars each month the travel to and from work or entertainment. No wonder these south lake county politicals want to extend the southshore. If they dont, south east lake county will be functionally obsolete in 10-20 years. Good luck to Mr. Thieneman. If you build it they will come, not! They cant afford the gas to get there and if they could all of the roads are undriveable. What a Joke. HAHAHAHAHA "

Jane wrote on Jun 7, 2008 8:02 AM:

" Developers wanting all these dead end streets and no connections with other subdivisions finally are going to reap what they sowed. Enjoy! "

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