VALPARAISO | Only one main intersection on Lincolnway through the city has not benefited from the improvements done over the past few years, but that is about to change.

Valparaiso Engineering Director Tim Burkman has outlined a plan to improve the intersection at Lincolnway and Garfield Avenue to match the others with turning lanes, lighted street sign, new traffic signal and new sidewalks with handicapped accessible ramps. Burkman said the intersection will have an area seeded with grass to add green space and trees will be planted.

"At the four corners there are drives that are close to the intersection, and, from a traffic and safety standpoint, we'd like to have those as far back as possible," Burkman told the city's Redevelopment Commission.

Lincolnway has enough right of way and pavement to add left-turn lanes in both directions, but the city will have to get permission from the Indiana Department of Transportation because Lincolnway is a state road.

"We have the same configuration from Roosevelt Road to the roundabout, so this would just continue it the rest of the way to the downtown. It will be the start of the transition of the three-lane section," he said.

The city also is looking at adding a left-turn lane on Garfield on the south side of the intersection for traffic going to the downtown. Councilman Jan Dick said traffic tends to back up there, and Burkman said his department plans to survey that area when the weather clears to see if the road is wide enough already or if more property would have to be acquired.

Burkman said the project's design can be done by his department, and it has a preliminary estimate of $175,000. He expects the project to be done this year with funding from the Redevelopment Commission.