New Keith Busse Parkway to serve as Trine’s west entrance

Thunder athletic fans and others who have endured traffic jams and poor visibility while trying to enter or exit Trine University on Summit Street will soon have a better route to the university’s west campus.

The university, working in conjunction with the City of Angola and the Indiana Department of Transportation, plans to open the new Keith Busse Parkway, a four-lane road connecting U.S. 20 to Thunder Drive, by the beginning of the 2027-28 school year.

The collaborative project will provide improved traffic safety to students, employees, visitors and area residents.

“Heavy traffic going through residential areas is always a concern, as is the poor visibility turning onto and off of Summit Street and its lack of alignment with streets on the north side of U.S. 20,” said Tony Kline, Ph.D., Trine University president. “This project will allow us to be a good neighbor to the residents of Angola while providing more efficient entry to the west end of our expanding campus.”

Construction is set to begin in May.

The project’s estimated cost is $4 million.

Named for SDI founder, trustee

The new roadway is named for Keith Busse, co-founder of Steel Dynamics Inc. and a member of Trine University’s Board of Trustees since 2003.

He currently serves on the Board as vice chair and chair of the Executive Committee. He also serves on its Campus Planning, Audit/Finance/Investment and Campaign/Advancement committees. In the past, he helped guide the capital construction and improvement plan for the institution.

Among other projects and efforts, Busse and Steel Dynamics Inc. have provided significant support to the Keith E. Busse/Steel Dynamics Inc. Athletic and Recreation Center, the Thunder Ice Arena, the Steel Dynamics Inc. Center for Engineering and Computing and the John and Mary Pellegrino Student Design Center.

The university honored Busse with its Pillar of Success award in 2021.

“Keith Busse has been instrumental to the growth of Trine University, both in terms of giving guidance as our campus has expanded and in providing financial support for many of our state-of-the-art facilities,” Dr. Kline said. “This is another small way to express our appreciation for his tremendous contributions over his many years of involvement with Trine University.”