On Nov. 10, Mayor Andy Cook and city and state leaders cut the ribbon to open the new Westfield Boulevard. The project was a collaboration between the state of Indiana and the City of Westfield.
“This project is a great example of how all levels of government can work together for the community,” Cook stated. “The new Westfield Boulevard will not only ease traffic through our downtown, but it will open an entire area along U.S. 31 for economic development.”
The new road runs .65 miles between 169th Street and Park Street and is projected to cost slightly less than the original estimate of $4.8 million. A bridge is included because it crosses the Anna Kendall Legal Drain, and two new animal crossings have been added under the roadway to comply with Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources requirements. The new Westfield Boulevard and Park Street is now a four-way stop intersection and the roundabout at Westfield Boulevard and Ind. 32 now has a second through lane heading southbound. Additionally, what was previously known as Poplar Street from Ind. 32 to Park Street has been renamed Westfield Boulevard.
The project also added a new trail connection along 169th Street and north along Westfield Boulevard to give pedestrians direct access to Grand Junction Plaza and Park Street, as well as extensions to the Midland Trail from Mill Street to Westfield Boulevard and the Monon-Midland Loop along David Brown Drive from Union Street to U.S. 31. The final piece of the trail connecting the west side of U.S. 31 to the Monon Trail will be completed in the spring.
Construction was a Federal Exchange project with the city paying 10 percent of costs and the state covering the remaining 90 percent. Future plans call for the road to extend further south and connect with Westfield Boulevard at 161st Street.
