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Public To Have Its Say In State Street Plan

The State Street Project
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http://statestreetwl.com/

Now that West Lafayette has completed the bidding process on its 120-million State Street Redevelopment Project, the city, along with project partner Purdue University is ready, in the Joint Board’s words, to convert State Road 26 from “a state highway into a main street.”

An information meeting Thursday evening kicked off State Street’s next phase: educating city residents about the project and eliciting their input. More formal public hearings are to follow. 

Thursday’s presentation showcased the city’s elaborate plan to create a comprehensive throroughfare through the Purdue campus and the city’s east side.  The city’s vision involves nixing many of the neighborhood’s one-way streets and creating more bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly paths, as well as less sexy enterprises such as improving drainage around Todd’s Creek.

Reactions at the packed meeting were largely positive. 

“I came here in 1973,” says West Lafayette Councilor-At-Large Gerald Thomas, “and I can remember my first visit on campus, that part of the city looked old and tired…It’s 2016, and it still looks old and tired! So I’m looking forward to this transformation.”

New Chauncey resident Thomas Kesler is looking forward to more real estate development on the other end of town from where he lives.

“I’m hoping that development will take some of the pressure off the development where I live on the east side of campus,” says Kesler.

Former city councilwoman Patti O’Callaghan says she’s impressed with how much the project could fit onto a single street.

I’m just wondering how they’re going to fit everything in the space,” O’Callaghan said, referring to the plans for extra-wide sidewalks and bike lanes. “It looks like we’re getting so much more on State Street than there is now.”

O’Callaghan says she’s relieved no buildings are slated for demolition.

Patrick Hagmaier owns the a restaurant at the corner of State Street and River Road, where one of the project’s largest overhauls is planned. He says for him, a commitment to pedestrian safety is the most important part of the plan, especially at the large intersection abutting his business. Plans call for narrowing the intersection and adding amenities such as pedestrian islands, so people aren’t left stranded in busy traffic.

Residents did raise some concerns. West Lafayette resident (and District 26 House candidate) Deanna McMillan says she’s concerned about maintenance on the streets that might end up shouldering increased traffic burdens as a result of the overhaul, such as Highway 231.

“Is it going to be the responsibility of the city of West Lafayette? Is it going to be the responsibility of the state? Is it going to come under INDOT for all those surrounding areas right outside of the project to be maintained as well?” McMillan asks. “Because traffic is going to increase on the outside of the project if the traffic decreases within the perimeter of the project.”

A formal public hearing is scheduled for next week.

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