The first new portion of I-69 in Marion County was expected to open for southbound traffic before the morning commute today. The opening will kick off a series of temporary and permanent traffic pattern changes to advance construction of the limited-access interstate.
Southbound S.R. 37 traffic shift
Starting after 9 p.m. tonight, southbound State Road 37 traffic is expected to shift to the elevated pavement and bridges between Southport Road and Fairview Road in Johnson County. Southbound traffic will not stop for traffic signals at Wicker Road and County Line Road.
New access west of S.R. 37
New southbound S.R. 37 entrance and exit ramps at County Line Road will open to a large roundabout west of the new highway.
A new section of Bluffdale Drive will connect this roundabout with Wicker Road to the north. Another new section of Bluffdale Drive is expected to open in early June connecting County Line Road to Fairview Road.
Northbound S.R. 37 traffic shift
Northbound S.R. 37 traffic is expected to shift to the new lanes about a week later. Two-way S.R. 37 traffic will be divided by temporary barriers during construction of the new I-69 northbound lanes.
After the traffic shift, S.R. 37 northbound traffic will not stop at Wicker Road and County Line Road traffic signals. Local access points to and from S.R. 37 northbound in the area will be at the Fairview Road and Southport Road traffic signals.
County Line Road closure
The new I-69 interchange is realigning County Line Road slightly north to minimize traffic impacts during construction. As each direction of S.R. 37 shifts to the elevated pavement and bridges, access to County Line Road and its nearby intersection with Bluff Road will close temporarily for about two months.
During the closure, construction crews will complete the new County Line Road alignment underneath the future I-69 bridges and another large roundabout east of the highway. The roundabout will connect the future I-69 northbound ramps with the existing Bluff and County Line Roads
Traffic access maps
County Line Road is one of many areas along existing S.R. 37 and I-465 that will be affected by changing traffic patterns for I-69 Finish Line construction.
To help plan safe summer travels, the project website offers a graphical map that can be printed or an interactive Traffic Access Map. The maps put localized traffic patterns into context of other local roads and the larger I-69 Finish Line project.
