Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT)  officials heard public comment on a proposed road diet for State Road 441 in Vincennes on Thursday.

Several turned out to hear the plan and voice concerns.

A road diet typically  involves converting an existing four-lane undivided roadway to a three-lane roadway consisting of two through lanes and a center two-way left turn lane.

A portion of Hart Street recently underwent the change.

State Road 441 includes parts of Willow, 6th and Vigo streets and runs from the US 41 interchange to the Lincoln Memorial Bridge into Illinois, which is why the state is involved.

The road diet is only planned for Willow Street, but specifically the section between Niblack Road and 13th St.

Gary Brian, Public Relations Director for INDOT Southwest, says the change has been discussed for some time and was not  influenced by the city’s Hart Street project, but says the public’s experience with Hart  can be helpful when asking about or dealing with Willow Street.

In addition to the road diet, there is also a planned repaving of all of SR 441, which includes Willow, 6th and Vigo, from US 41 to the bridge into Illinois.

The “project letting” is set for February 12, 2025, and the construction is expected to begin in the spring or early summer of 2025.

Those in attendance  on Thursday voiced their concerns to INDOT with many unhappy with the plans.

The complaints centered around the turn lanes and inability to pass slower cars as well as issues for farmers that use 441 to travel to Illinois and back.

INDOT also heard comments on the flow of traffic from other roads such as Old 41, the possibility of sidewalks, and disruptions caused by the construction itself.