POSEY COUNTY, Ind. (August 19, 2024) – Posey County officials broke ground today on the long-awaited Western Bypass, a major infrastructure project designed to significantly improve traffic flow and safety in Mt. Vernon by rerouting semi-truck traffic away from the downtown district. The Western Bypass aims to alleviate congestion, enhance roadway safety, and create new opportunities for economic growth and housing development in the region.
Indiana Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch, along with local officials, attended the ceremony to commemorate this pivotal moment for Posey County. The project is a tribute to the late Carl Schmitz, a former Posey County commissioner who served from 2012 to 2021 and was instrumental in the project’s development.
“This is not just a great day for Posey County; it’s a game-changer,” said Bill Collins, president of the Posey County Board of Commissioners. “The Western Bypass will slash truck traffic through Mt. Vernon, paving the way for vibrant economic growth and much-needed housing.”
American Structurepoint provided the engineering for the project. Blankenberger Brothers were recently awarded the contract as the general contractor for the first of the two-phase project with a low bid of $6.98 million.
Ash Titzer, Vice President of Production and Midstream at CountryMark, highlighted the alignment of the Western Bypass with the company’s core values of reliability and improvement. “The new thoroughfare will allow us to reliably transport the essential needs of our business in and out of our facilities while improving the quality of place of the surrounding community,” he said.
Mt. Vernon Mayor Steve Loehr highlighted the project’s critical impact. “The Western Bypass, although being a continuation of the current Keck Bypass, is more critical in that it directly impacts our Western manufacturing facilities because of the easier access to the interstate system and the greater region. From the city’s perspective, taking hundreds of commercial vehicles off our streets will directly impact the life of our infrastructure and neighborhoods, which is a win-win for everyone,” Loehr said.
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