HEARTLAND CORRIDOR FORCES CONTRACTORS TO DIG DEEP

Battling tough soil conditions on a high-priority corridor, contractors are gearing up to complete 200 mi (322 km) of highway across portions of Indiana and Ohio in 1999. Limestone and shale will be excavated and organic soils removed and replaced with sand. The project is slated to provide a four-lane route between Lafayette and Fort Wayne, Indiana, that will eventually extend to Toledo, Ohio. It includes a three-span, 150-ft (46-m) long prestressed concrete bridge over Enyeart Creek, which was a challenge to design because it curves both horizontally and vertically. The Hoosier Heartland route is one of 21 high priority corridors identified in the 1991 Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act.