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SOU T11,1 <br /> O� <br /> W PeACK <br /> 1865 <br /> JOINT RELEASE FROM INDOT AND CITY OF SOUTH BEND <br /> Thursday, November 1, 2007 <br /> 2:00 PM <br /> INDOT presents $2 million check to South Bend <br /> Ceremony highlights relinquishment agreement, revamping of McKinley/Ironwood intersection <br /> SOUTH BEND, Ind. —Mayor Stephen Luecke accepted a$2 million check from the Indiana <br /> Department of Transportation today as part of an agreement for the state to relinquish <br /> jurisdiction and responsibility for the reconstruction of the McKinley/Ironwood intersection. <br /> The intersection's reconstruction remained the only remaining section of INDOT responsibility <br /> from a prior agreement transferring McKinley Avenue, or "Old U.S. 20,"to the city. The move <br /> was part of a broader state strategy, transferring certain highways to local jurisdictions. <br /> The agreement means design and reconstruction of the intersection of McKinley and Ironwood <br /> Drive could begin now and be completed by late 2008 under the leadership of the City of South <br /> Bend. The city has proposed a design scaled to a locally appropriate context, which seeks to <br /> balance neighborhood quality of life with the traffic demand on Ironwood, a major street that <br /> transverses the length of the city from north to south. <br /> "We are happy to stand here today as South Bend and state officials working together to enhance <br /> the safety of our roads," Luecke said. "This agreement will give residents greater input into the <br /> final look of a reconstructed intersection that preserves the residential character of the <br /> neighborhood while it accommodates increasing traffic demand." <br /> Current Plan: <br /> • Creating a five-lane intersection similar to the original INDOT proposal, but limiting the <br /> widened lanes to within one block of the intersection. <br /> • Using 11-foot-wide lanes, landscaping and decorative pedestrian-scale lighting to preserve <br /> the neighborhood's residential character. <br /> • Appointing a five-member citizen design review committee to provide input to the design <br /> that's sensitive to the neighborhood's residential context. <br /> McKinley was relinquished to South Bend in a 1999 agreement, which included an intersection <br /> improvement at McKinley and Ironwood Drive. Because local residents were not in agreement <br /> with the proposed design, however, an amendment to the agreement was made. The amendment <br />