Mt. Comfort Construction

Makayla Faulk, MVC writer and photographer
January 9, 2023

There is a ton of construction going on this year in the Mt. Comfort area. The roads are being redone and factories are being built.
The ramps to get on I-70 have been closed for the majority of the year because of all the construction. The workers are redoing ramps to make sure they can support all of the new traffic being brought in by the factories.
There is a new Mexican restaurant being built next to Burger King at I-70 and Mt. Comfort Rd.
Currently, the constitution companies are doing work beside the Mt. Comfort airport to repair the side road so that it can hold up to the extreme traffic it will be under. Previously, the road could not support semi-trucks.
The construction area spans a great length. It runs between W 600 N and W 100 N.
The construction has been a very long process. They started building the factories before the roads were fixed, resulting in the major issue of the roads around the construction area not being able to handle the heavy construction truck traffic.

It has been said many times that Indiana has two seasons: winter and construction.
A couple of years ago, there was a new deal made that said if companies built factories in Mt. Comfort, they would be exempt from taxes for several years. The deal caused several companies to begin construction on new buildings in the area. This means that they can avoid paying property taxes, which is a substantial financial burden for many new buildings and companies.

Making this deal promotes fast growth in the Mt. Comfort community. Most of the buildings that are being built are factories or distribution centers. At I-70 and Mt. Comfort Road, there are several restaurants and stores being built. One such building going up is a new strip mall, which is being put in beside Burger King. These new developments open up many opportunities for the community to expand and grow.

Construction on the buildings began well before construction on the roads began. There was no infrastructure to support the massive amounts of traffic that were predicted to flood the area. The existing roads were all old country roads that had not been redone in several years. They could not hold up against the heavy-duty semis that were destined to come to the new factories. The road workers then had to work quickly because they had to fix the roads while keeping them open to allow construction to continue. The INDOT has been working on the roads for about two years now, and the roads are still not completely done.

As a result of all of the new jobs created, not only by construction, but also by the new factory jobs, there will be an influx of lower-income families. Factory jobs do not pay well historically, with the average take-home salary being $30,000 per year. A family cannot comfortably support themselves with this money. This means lower-income housing will need to be built in addition. There are several new low-income apartment complexes being built, especially in Cumberland. This will grow the communities of not only Mt. Comfort, but also the areas surrounding it.

Mt. Comfort is facilitating an up-and-coming environment that is bringing in many new people. With all of the new construction, from factories to housing, to restaurants, there is plenty of room in the community for new faces and families to enjoy everything that there is to offer. According to INDOT’s current plan, they believe they will be completely done with construction by mid-2025.