Road extension to increase access for Purdue Research Park of Northwest Indiana

MERRILLVILLE, Ind.  –  An extension of a road within a Merrillville technology park should improve access for the Purdue Research Park of Northwest Indiana.

According to Bruce Spires, town manager for the Town of Merrillville, construction on the extension of 98th Avenue within the AmeriPlex at the Crossroads certified technology park should begin sometime in September.

Construction on the approximately one-half mile extension should be complete in June 2017, Spires said. The extension of the two-lane road will include trails as well as all utilities such as water lines and sewers. It will link the existing road to Georgia Street on the other side of the technology park.

The park includes the Purdue Research Park of Northwest Indiana and the 60,000-square-foot Purdue Technology Center, home to more than 50 companies.

"This road extension will greatly improve access for our entrepreneurs and companies," said Bill Barnes, operations and entrepreneurial manager for Purdue Research Park of Northwest Indiana. "We also expect it will attract new entrepreneurs who will want to take advantage of everything the Purdue Research Park of Northwest Indiana has to offer."

About the Purdue Research Park

The Purdue Research Park is the largest university-affiliated business incubation complex in the country. The Purdue Research Park manages the Purdue Technology Centers in four sites in Indiana located in West Lafayette, Indianapolis, Merrillville and New Albany. The more than 260 companies located in the park network employ about 4,500 people who earn an average annual wage of $63,000. The park is managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, which received the 2014 Incubator Network of the Year from the National Business Incubation Association for its work in entrepreneurship. For more information about funding and investment opportunities in startups based on a Purdue innovation, contact the Purdue Foundry at foundry@prf.org 

Purdue Research Foundation Contact: Curt Slyder, 765-588-3342, caslyder@prf.org

Sources: Bill Barnes, 219-644-3683, wmbarnes@prf.org

Bruce Spires, 219-769-5711, bspires@merrillville.in.gov