Amber Bonnes of Hebron was the first to speak at a public hearing on the state’s plan to construct a single-lane roundabout at the intersection of U.S. 231 and Iowa Street.

Her voice was strong and she didn’t waver as she spoke in favor of the Crown Point project at the hearing held Tuesday.

“My son, Nicholas, lost his life at that intersection on Sept. 11, 2024. I’m totally for this,” Bonnes said.

She said her 22-year-old son, Nicholas Bandy, was on his way to classes at Purdue Northwest when an accident claimed his life.

“I’m still grieving….I think the roundabout is the best solution,” Bonnes said.

The public hearing, held at Crown Point High School and sponsored by the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), was attended by some 24 people, including Bonnes and a few others who provided input.

The hearing was directed by Adam Parkhouse, INDOT’s Director of Stakeholder Services.

INDOT officials, in a release, said the project was triggered by a higher-than-expected crash rate at the intersection.

Most of the incidents involved right-angle crashes attributed to northbound and southbound traffic from Iowa Street failing to yield the right-of-way to U.S. 231 traffic, INDOT officials said.

“This should have been done yesterday,” Crown Point resident Garry Brumm said at the hearing.

Brumm, who lives on Iowa Street, said his wife was rear-ended at the intersection and he estimates there are some two to three accidents there a month.

His only criticism of the project was that the roundabout should be more centered and he is worried about the noise level and his privacy.

“I also want my driveway extra wide,” Brumm said.

Jacqueline Cooper said she is worried about whether the single lane will be wide enough when it comes to school buses transporting children.

“I’m worried about the school buses, with or without children inside, it’s a big risk,” Cooper said.

Parkhouse, at the beginning of the hearing, said INDOT has discussed some 25 alternatives.

The preferred alternative is a single-lane roundabout at the project intersection.

While a roundabout has more construction cost, it is the safest way to go with a much lower accident rate, Parkhouse said.

If approved, the roundabout project would be started in the spring of 2026 and finished in the fall of 2026, Parkhouse said.

According to specifications provided by INDOT, the roundabout will consist of a 140-foot diameter roundabout with one 19-foot circulatory travel lane bordered by concrete curb and gutter and a 15-foot truck apron.

The U.S. 231 approaches will be constructed as high-speed approaches, thus having longer splitter islands as well as multiple curves to the approach. The longer approaches along U.S. 231 are designed to address the sudden change in speed from 55 mph to 25 mph at the roundabout approach, according to specifications provided by INDOT.

The project will also provide new overhead lighting along each leg of the roundabout per required design standards. The north leg of the roundabout will facilitate future construction of the Veterans Memorial Parkway Trail across Iowa Street by incorporating a raised splitter island to provide pedestrian refuge between the entry and exit travel lanes of the roundabout.

The raised splitter island will provide Americans with Disabilities Act compliant crosswalk ramps, INDOT officials said.

Project documents can be reviewed on the INDOT website, https://www.in.gov/indot/about-indot/central-office/welcome-to-the-laporte-district/us-231-intersection-improvement/.

Written comments will also be accepted through July 8, and can be sent to Dan Delgado, project manager, Lawson-Fisher Associates, 525 W. Washington Ave., South Bend, IN, 46601 or emailed to him at ddelgado@lawson-fisher.com.

Deborah Laverty is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.