CROWN POINT | Intersection improvements on Broadway will begin next spring, INDOT officials said this week.

Angie Fegaras, Indiana Department of Transportation communications director, said the letting date for the project, which will improve intersections along Broadway between 93rd Avenue and U.S. 231, was moved from mid-May to October. In an e-mail, Fegaras said the date was changed to allow INDOT time to gather all the needed right of way. She also said the date change was to prevent any uncertainty of the cost of materials in the project's bids.

Mayor David Uran said in his conversations with INDOT he learned there were still some issues with the right of way, and while that was disappointing, he understood the process of acquiring property can take longer than expected. He said the process still is moving forward.

"(Broadway) needs improvement, but we can't just take people's land," he said.

INDOT has said construction would occur between this summer and next summer, meaning the construction start date of April is within that range. Even if the project had been bid this month, construction still wouldn't start until April, Fegaras said. However, state Rep. Shelli VanDenburgh, D-Crown Point, said she was disappointed with the next spring's start date because she had understood the project would begin this summer.

"I'm very disappointed," she said. "Traffic is growing daily."

The intersection improvements are scheduled to help improve congestion along the busy road and will include the addition of turn lanes, traffic signals and resurfacing along Broadway, also known as Ind. 53. The intersection slated to receive the most improvements is at 109th Avenue, a needed adjustment with the construction of a new interchange off Interstate 65 along the road. The 109th Avenue interchange is scheduled to open in September, INDOT officials have said.