Indy to spend $40M to upgrade County Line Road

The city of Indianapolis is planning millions of dollars in upgrades for the western portion of County Line Road — upgrades that will benefit southside drivers on both sides of the county line.

The $40 million South County Line Road project is expected to begin construction later this year between State Road 37/Interstate 69 and State Road 135. The project will add additional travel lanes in both directions and a continuous center turn lane to County Line Road, said Brandon Herget, director of the Indianapolis Department of Public Works.

For Indy DPW officials, the County Line Road corridor has always been a vital link between State Road 37 and State Road 135. Indianapolis has limited east-west corridors on the southside, so as Indiana Department of Transportation officials began working on the I-69 69 interchange at County Line Road, it made sense for city officials to look at expanding the road, Herget said.

“The importance of this project, from our point of view, is just making sure that we have a navigable east-west corridor on the southside for our constituents,” he said.

Adding more lanes to County Line Road will not only expand capacity, but will also allow for future development and the efficient movement of goods and freight from I-69, Herget said.

Safety will also be improved by installing new traffic signals at Morgantown Road and Peterman Road/Railroad Road. West of Morgantown Road, crews plan to address a sight-distance issue caused by the slope of a large hill by digging into the hill to significantly reduce its slope, according to planning documents.

Retaining walls will be built on the north and south sides of the road in this area to minimize the impacts to adjacent property and steep side slopes, planning documents show.

Further east, two new bridges will be built over Pleasant Run Creek and Buffalo Creek, along with stormwater detention areas. The detention areas are important for the project because they will help with flood control, he said.

“A lot of times folks don’t think about roadway infrastructure projects as being important for flood control, but they are,” Herget said. “The impervious pavement creates runoff issues.”

On the Greenwood side, Mt. Pleasant East Street’s connection to County Line Road will be removed, turning it into a cul-de-sac in that area. On the Indianapolis side, the easternmost Morris Road connection will be removed and converted into a cul-de-sac, according to planning documents.

Further south, an extension of Mt. Pleasant South Street will connect to Bluff Road. The road’s current connection to County Line Road through Mt. Pleasant West Street will be removed as part of the I-69 Finish Line Project, planning documents show.

Construction crews will also improve pedestrian mobility on both sides of County Line Road by adding a new 10-foot wide trail on the Marion County side and a new 6-foot wide sidewalk on the Johnson County side. These new paths will make it safer for bicyclists, pedestrians and those who live in the neighborhoods nearby, Herget said.

The project is currently expected to cost $40 million, a price that has been affected by rising costs over the last few years, Herget said. The city of Indianapolis is footing the bill and signed interlocal agreements with the city of Greenwood and Johnson County for the work taking place south of the county line.

The first phase of the project, from the new County Line Road interchange to Morgantown Road, is expected to begin construction by the end of this year. Construction will likely last through 2025, Herget said.

The second and final phase would begin in spring 2026. Construction would be from Morgantown Road to near State Road 135, he said.

As for future work on the rest of County Line Road, Herget says it’s too early to say. DPW officials are always looking at their capital improvement program and constituent needs for projects, he said.

While construction will be an impediment for those who live in the area for the next few years, the final product will be a net gain for people on the southside, Herget said.

Once work begins, Herget encourages people to watch out for construction crews and travel safely. He also encourages them to add extra commute time and watch out for communication from both Indy DPW and INDOT.

“As we start to get toward construction season, you’ll start to see signage going up for road closures and detours as necessary,” Herget said. “Just be mindful of that signage, and please be careful as you’re driving through work zones.”

To learn more about the South County Line Road project, residents can go to southcountylineroad.com.