Rick Powers, Kevin Overmyer, Mayor Mark Senter, Mike Miley and other Plymouth local leaders break ground together

PLYMOUTH —Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) Deputy Commissioner Rick Powers of the LaPorte District joined Marshall County Commissioner Kevin Overmyer, Plymouth Mayor Mark Senter, President of Plymouth Industrial Development Corporation (PIDCO) Mike Miley along with local leaders for a groundbreaking on the new INDOT Plymouth Sub District highway maintenance facility.

Preliminary work began last week on the 40,000 square foot, $7.2 million Plymouth Sub District base of operations facility and salt building which features direct access to U.S. 30 and U.S. 31 and close proximately to U.S. 6 from its location at 2845 Jack Greenlee Drive in Plymouth.

The state of the art facility replaces the existing Plymouth Sub District building and salt barn which was built in 1978. The new facility will serve the current Plymouth Sub District which covers state-maintained highways in portions of St. Joseph, Marshall, Fulton and Starke Counties, including state highways in Plymouth, South Bend, Mishawaka, Bremen and Rochester.

“This new facility reaffirms our partnership with the local cities and towns in our INDOT LaPorte District, here in northwest Indiana. We realize our state roads are their main streets, and this new Plymouth Sub District will ensure we will continue to take care of what we have by utilizing the latest technology combined with the veteran leadership and knowledge of our INDOT staff,” said Rick Powers, INDOT Deputy Commissioner, LaPorte District.

“Plymouth is proud to be home to INDOT’s newest addition. The capital investment from INDOT will build a state of the art Sub District facility, which is truly unique for the area and demonstrates their commitment to transportation routes,” said Mayor Mark Senter, City of Plymouth.

In addition to serving as a base of operations for road maintenance work, preservation projects and much more the new Plymouth Sub District features several tools to help INDOT crews battle the challenging snow and ice that make up northwest Indiana winters. Its location offers a more efficient route to some of the area’s busiest highways, which will aid in snow plow response time. In addition, a new salt building effectively doubles the size of the existing Plymouth Sub District salt barn and offers truck wash bays that allow crews to recycle salty wash water in winter to make liquid de-icer for use on the roads at a cost of just pennies a gallon.

“A safe, reliable and well-maintained transportation system is key for Marshall County. We see the INDOT facility as a significant asset to the community and the growing U.S. 30 and U.S. 31 corridors,” said Marshall County Commissioner Kevin Overmyer.