Press Release

INDIANAPOLIS — Senate Concurrent Resolution 10, which would rename the railroad overpass over SR 31 in Marshall County as the “Owen Abbott Memorial Bridge,” recently passed the Senate.

On Dec. 5, 2018, a truck hit a school bus that had stopped at the railroad crossing. Owen Abbott, an eighth grader aboard the bus, tragically passed away at the scene.

The Indiana Department of Transportation officially broke ground on the overpass earlier last spring, with the project anticipated to be completed by the end of 2024.

“My own personal experiences with this railroad crossing created a need to advocate for the overpass,” said State Sen. Blake Doriot in a press release. “INDOT’s original timeline for the overpass had work scheduled to begin in 2026, which was unacceptable. My advocacy for this project to be made a priority connected me to Britni Fritz, Owen’s mother.

To further help address the issue, I am working on something that would create dedicated deceleration and acceleration lanes for traffic that has to stop at a railroad crossing. This is still a work in progress, but I am optimistic that it will provide an additional option for dangerous railroad crossings.

I am pleased to see this resolution move through the legislative process. Renaming this overpass will not only improve driving conditions and save lives, but also preserve the memory of Owen.”