Trine University plans $4 million road to improve campus traffic

Construction is expected to begin next spring on an estimated $4 million road project that is expected to improve traffic around Trine University, the Angola-based institution announced today. Trine, which is working with the city of Angola and the Indiana Department of Transportation, plans to open the Keith Busse Parkway by the beginning of next school year, the university said in a news release. The four-lane road will serve as the university's west entrance, connecting U.S. 20 to Thunder Drive, the release said. An east-west roadway, Thunder Drive borders multiple campus facilities, including Fred Zollner Athletic Stadium, the Ryan Tennis Center, Hershey Hall and the Rick L. and Vicki L. James University Center. The university indicated its athletic fans and others have endured traffic jams and poor visibility while trying to enter or exit campus on Summit Street, a north-south road between U.S. 20 and Thunder Drive. The new parkway will overlap with a portion of the existing Summit Street but will curve so it will connect with U.S. 20 west of the existing Summit Street, according to a project rendering. The university-funded project is expected to start construction in May, the release said. The parkway's namesake is Keith Busse, cofounder of Steel Dynamics Inc. and a longtime university board member.