March 10, 2015 at 5:25 p.m.

Report highway issues to INDOT

Editorial

Apparently, the folks at the Greenfield District of the Indiana Department of Transportation don’t like to show up on the editorial page.
That’s OK. We don’t get any particular pleasure in taking the district to the woodshed over the condition of state highways in Jay County.
In fact, we’d be happy not to have to write another editorial complaining about INDOT neglect of the county when it comes to paving and snow removal ever again.
But the fact is, it took a February editorial on this page to get the district’s attention.
To any Jay County reader, nothing in that editorial was controversial. The same complaints could have been aired over coffee at the IDC Restaurant in Pennville, the Pizza King in Dunkirk or the Koffee Kup in Portland any day of the week.
INDOT’s response, at a meeting last week, boiled down to: Let us hear from you. Tell us when there are problems with state highways.
So, the ball is in your court now, Jay County.
If you have a beef or a concern, let INDOT know. You can email [email protected]. Or you can call (855) 463-6848. Or you can visit the district’s website at greenfield.indot.in.gov and click on “Report a Concern” on the right side of the page.
One could argue — pretty convincingly — that any of the problems cited in the February editorial — Indiana 26 both east and west of Portland, U.S. 27 north of Portland and Indiana 167 north of Dunkirk, just to name a few — should have been readily apparent to INDOT officials if they were familiar with local road conditions.

But let’s set that aside and try it INDOT’s way.
Let them hear from you. Don’t be shy. Be the squeaky wheel.
Will it make a difference? The jury’s still out on that question.
One longtime Indiana State Police trooper said last week that the ISP has routinely reported concerns about state highways in Jay County for years but with minimal response.
This time around, INDOT says, it will be different.
The only way to find out is to take them at their word that they really want to hear from you.
And if they actually respond, we’d be happy to go looking for another topic for an editorial. —J.R.


PORTLAND WEATHER

Events

November

SU
MO
TU
WE
TH
FR
SA
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
27 28 29 30 31 1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30

To Submit an Event Sign in first

Today's Events

No calendar events have been scheduled for today.

250 X 250 AD