Burns Parkway extension project nearing completion of design and engineering phase

Connection is key to a city’s success, whether it be facilitating opportunities for social connection or constructing developments that enhance physical connection, something the Portage Economic Development Commission (EDC) knows well. The extension project of Burns Parkway will do just that by building a bridge that will expand across the waterway near Hillcrest Road and Route 12 to join Highway 249 and Burns Parkway together. This will change the road from a dead end to an outlet right around Ogden Dunes and the Portage South Shore Station. This will directly connect Route 30 to the Portage South Shore Station with a single road.

“Portage EDC owns just under 200 acres of property within that area. As the bridge and road get built, it opens up all of that property for development,” said Executive Director of Portage EDC Andy Maletta. “We've done a lot of work with both the Regional Development Authority (RDA) and its transit development district as well as our own planners and some developers that we’ve looked at. It opens up a lot of opportunities. We believe that once the roads are constructed, there's probably about a billion dollars worth of economic development right within that district in that area. It's a pretty big deal for the city of Portage, and we're excited about the prospect of it.”

This extension project was first brought up in 2017, with designing and engineering planning beginning in 2023. Construction should begin in 2025, and the project should be completed in 2027. Despite the long timeline, Maletta and Portage EDC are excited for the road ahead, having been involved in the project from the beginning.

“The heavy lifting part, which is the engineering and the design, is nearly complete. Once the construction starts on the road, we'll be able to announce more definitive plans of what it's going to look like,” Maletta said.

With most of the design and engineering work completed, Maletta and Portage EDC are working to secure funds for the project that will permit them to begin construction. Fortunately, the $6 million project is nearly funded, and the team is simply working to close the gap so they can move forward with the project.

“There is a lot of infrastructure,” Maletta said. “That includes sanitary, sewers, water, and all the utilities we need to put in. From a timeline standpoint, a good timeline for us would be if we could break ground at some point in 2025 and reach a completion date sometime in 2027.”

According to Maletta, the city already has a company interested in the south end of the property before the bridge.

“Having been a part of the project from the very beginning, I have known what those possibilities are, I have heard ideas from multiple developers, and I have seen some of the plans of what it can be. It's right in the heart of the National Park, and it's up near our marinas in the waterway.  It will be a transformative project when it's completed,” Maletta said.

For more information on Portage Economic Development Commission and its current projects, visit portagein.org.