Traffic restrictions start on Indiana 2 with repaving, expansion of Larrison intersection

Joseph Dits, South Bend Tribune
·2 min read
This maps shows the intersection of Indiana 2 and Larrison Boulevard that will be expanded in 2024. Indiana 2 is also being repaved from the U.S. 20 "dogbone" interchange LaPorte County to Quince Road in 2024, then to the U.S. 20/31 bypass in 2025.
This maps shows the intersection of Indiana 2 and Larrison Boulevard that will be expanded in 2024. Indiana 2 is also being repaved from the U.S. 20 "dogbone" interchange LaPorte County to Quince Road in 2024, then to the U.S. 20/31 bypass in 2025.

SOUTH BEND — Work has begun on an expansion of the intersection of Indiana 2 and Larrison Boulevard to accommodate extra traffic that’s expected for the electric vehicle battery plant that’s being built just northwest of the intersection.

St. Joseph County is chipping in $1.7 million to help the Indiana Department of Transportation pay for the total of at least $29.2 million in intersection improvements, Bill Schalliol, the county’s director of economic development, said.

INDOT spokeswoman Cassy Bajek said this fits into the repaving this year of Indiana 2 between the U.S. 20 "dogbone" interchange in LaPorte County and Quince Road. Next year, she said, INDOT will pave the extra stretch of Indiana 2 east to the St. Joseph Valley Parkway, also known as the U.S. 20/31 Bypass.

Indiana 2’s repaving and the intersection improvements will be ongoing through late November. INDOT doesn’t anticipate any full closures of the highway, Bajek said. There should always be at least one lane open in each direction.

Indiana 2 traffic has already been reduced to one lane in either direction at Larrison and at other sections of the highway.

General Motors and Samsung SDI are building the battery plant on 680 acres northwest of Indiana 2 and Larrison. Extra traffic may also be expected if Amazon follows through on possibly building a huge, $11 billion data center nearby, too.

April 2024 status report: Electric vehicle sales might be slumping, but a battery plant here is still moving forward

Here’s how the Indiana 2/Larrison intersection is being upgraded:

∎ One acceleration lane each is being added to both eastbound and westbound Indiana 2, for traffic coming off of Larrison, Bajek said.

∎ Southbound Larrison is being widened in order to add a lane for traffic turning right onto Indiana 2, she said.

∎ Also, Schalliol said, the county is helping to pay for an extension of the culvert that’s being upgraded at the Niespodziany Ditch. The ditch had to be relocated to allow for the industrial development.

South Bend Tribune reporter Joseph Dits can be reached at 574-235-6158 or jdits@sbtinfo.com.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: INDOT repaves Indiana 2 and expands Larrison intersection