‘You have a problem there': Duneland stretch of US 20 has history of wrecks

Chicago Tribune

07-03-2025

US 20 has been tagged with the nickname 'Bloody 20' because of its history of wrecks in Northwest Indiana.
There is even a Facebook page devoted to tracking crashes on 'The Bloody 20' in LaPorte County.
Chesterton Town Councilman James Ton, R-1st, said that U.S. 20 was originally built to relieve traffic on US 12. Before Interstate 94 was constructed in sections across Northwest Indiana during the 1950s and 60s, US 20 was a major east-west highway. The Indiana State Police at one time had its Post #1 near the US 20-Indiana 49 interchange.
Traffic can still be a challenge on US 20 these days and Ton believes that a two-mile Duneland corridor from Tremont Road to Brummitt Road in Westchester Township fits the 'Bloody 20' moniker.
Ton said he tracked down an official from the Indiana Department of Transportation about the safety issue on US 20 after the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission meeting on Feb. 20.
'They need to understand that there is a problem. It is a situation that needs a remedy,' Ton said.
It so happened that when Ton spoke to the Town Council on Feb. 24 about his talk with an INDOT official, there was a fatal crash on US 20 at Brummitt Road earlier that day. Chesterton Police provided backup for the Porter County Sheriff's Office.
Eric Buzalski, 43, of LaPorte was driving his pickup truck west on US 20 when he went left-of-center while passing a vehicle and struck an eastbound semi head-on. Another eastbound semi-trailer also became involved in the ensuing crash that took hours to untangle. Buzalski was pronounced dead at the scene.
What happened with the crash illustrated one of the main issues for that stretch of US 20There are four lanes with no median.
Ton said that the section of US 20 is also susceptible to lane violations because it's not a divided highway.
Another problem is the lack of turning lanes, which results in rear-end collisions because motorists don't stop in time, Ton said.
There are also a number of businesses near Tremont Road, along with side streets that empty onto US 20 which pose additional safety challenges.
INDOT acknowledges that many of the observations made by Ton are true.
Cassy Bajek, a spokeswoman for INDOT's office in LaPorte, said she doesn't have accurate crash data available for that portion of US. 20. But in speaking with the traffic team, Bajek said the type of highway like US 20 — four lanes undivided without turn lanes — is prone to more operational issues.
'There are more challenges with side-street traffic crossing, four lanes without having a refuge in the middle, people stopped on the highway waiting to turn left, no median barrier wall,' Bajek said in an email.
However, Bajek said that there are limited options for that section of US 20 because of space constraints: Indiana Dunes National Park is on the north and there are railroad tracks alongside the highway on the south side.
Bajek said that INDOT might explore some options but there are no timelines and no official study is planned.
It might not have been the answer that Ton was looking for, but he believes it's still important to raise the issue.
'The main thing I wanted to get across is, you have a problem there,' Ton said.