Hoffer tops list of Kokomo 2024 street projects
Berkley, Lafountain repairs pushed off, but Webster, Goyer may see improvements
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Paving season has begun in the City of Kokomo, and it won’t be long before motorists are asked to navigate around orange cones and “Road Closed” signs in various locations around town. According to Mayor Tyler Moore paving crews from the city’s street department began paving the parking lot at Northwest Park the week of April 14, but there is much more to come.
“They're doing Northwest Park and a few others, just to knock them out,” said Moore. “We've got some new guys on the crew, so it's giving them an opportunity to get used to the equipment and such before we get out on the streets.”
Moore added that there will be several alleys repaved early in the season as well, again, to fulfill a long-standing need while offering training time to the paving crews. Often, those alleys will be paved in conjunction with a smaller street repaving project nearby.
The full list of smaller paving projects hasn’t yet been finalized, and many factors may alter those plans. Weather is a major factor, as is the availability of asphalt. Unforeseen emergencies can also delay or eliminate a planned repaving.
However, there is one major street reconstruction project that is 100-percent green-lit. Hoffer Street, from Ind. 931 to Locke Street, will be reconstructed and narrowed. When complete, the street will feature two traffic lanes and a third, shared, turn lane rather than the current four-lane alignment.
The project, which has been on the books for nearly six years, was subjected to multiple delays across two mayoral administrations. Funding, as well as shifting priorities, continued to place Hoffer on the back burner, but the city received a $1.5 million Community Crossings grant this year, which will be devoted to the project.
The grant marks its return after the city lost out on funding in 2023 due to a delay in the completion of Park Avenue’s reconstruction in 2022. As a Community Crossings project, the Park Avenue delay caused Kokomo to forfeit funding until it was completed.
Because of the size and scope of the project, Moore believes reconstruction of Hoffer will not begin until at least mid-summer. The project will be completed by an outside contractor rather than the city’s paving crew.
Hoffer Street is expected to consume $1 million of the Community Crossings grant. The remainder will be devoted to other projects, the most notable of which may be Apperson Way from Vaile Avenue to Jefferson Street and Dixon Road from Markland Avenue to Sycamore Street. While both streets have needed repair for several years, it is uncertain whether either project will take place this year.
Those hoping for improvements to a couple of other streets that previously were planned will have to wait at least another year. A state-collaborated repaving project for North Berkley Road from Markland Avenue to Sycamore Street has been pushed back, Moore said, as have plans to use Community Crossings money to repair South Lafountain Street and to add sidewalks there.
“With the size and scope of that project, (South Lafountain) more than likely is getting pushed back another year,” said Moore. “It won't be on this year's schedule. We’ll do more ‘Band-Aid’ work along Lafountain. We do need to get it done because that's going to be huge. We're going to put sidewalks in as part of that as well because there aren't any along Lafountain close to the hospital area.”
Moore said that the schedule changes on those two projects may open a window for a reconstruction of Goyer Road from Boulevard to Markland Avenue. That project would add sidewalks along the west side of Goyer. There is no timeline for that project at present.
Another reconstruction that Moore is particularly pleased to have on the schedule is South Webster Street from Southway Boulevard to Jackson Morrow Park. The city’s engineering department currently is redesigning the medians in that area which have posed significant challenges to motorists since their installation.
Moore explained that the medians will be narrowed, and curbs will be added to them. The result will be wider driving surfaces and reduced risk of striking the large rocks the city placed to deter motorists from leaving the roadway. This project also will be contracted to an outside company and does not have a timeframe for construction.
I live on the corner of Philips and Judson. I’m 77years old and I have lived in Kokomo all my life. How about paving Philips st, North st, Morgan st. ? I use these streets on a daily basis. We pay taxes on this side of town also. I can’t believe they paved the parking lot at Northwest park. I live in a pud and we have to pay to have our one little street paved. Maybe a quarter mile of road which would cost the city nearly nothing. Give your workers some experience paving Hutchins Dr. you have the money.