As Interstate 69 inches closer to Bargersville and White River Township, several businesses have already closed, and more remain in limbo.
Some businesses — the Knuckle Sandwich at State Road 144 and State Road 37, and The Plaster Shack on Old State Road 37 — have been staples on the county’s west side for decades.
From Evansville to Indianapolis, the I-69 project has forged a path through both developed and undeveloped areas of Indiana, forever changing the state’s landscape. I-69, which will replace State Road 37, will have two exits in Johnson County, at State Road 144 straddling the Johnson and Morgan county line, and Smith Valley Road in unincorporated White River Township. Another interchange will be added at County Line Road in Indianapolis.
Access road construction is expected to begin early next year in Johnson County, with mainline I-69 construction to begin in Martinsville and move its way north. Eventually, it will connect to I-465 in Indianapolis, providing easier access between two of the state’s largest cities. The project is expected to be complete and open to traffic in 2024.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryThe final section of the project, from Martinsville to Indianapolis, will impact 81 businesses and two nonprofits, according to Indiana Department of Transportation project documents. And the White River Township Fire Department was forced to relocate its headquarters last year.
INDOT documents don’t specify how many jobs will be lost due to the highway project, but instead offers a projection of how many will be gained as a result of the interstate. An estimated 1,400 jobs, and 1,700 to 1,800 new residents will come to the area by 2045, according to INDOT’s economic impact analysis on the final section.
The Knuckle Sandwich closed Sunday. The small business made its home just across the Johnson and Morgan County line from Bargersville, in Waverly. Before the Knuckle Sandwich, the building housed a Dairy Queen.
Most businesses surrounding the Knuckle Sandwich also had to close. But the BP gas station across the street will be allowed to remain, accessible by an access road that will be built.
Approval Auto Credit, a car dealership across State Road 144 from the Knuckle Sandwich, was torn down ahead of construction, primed to start in the coming months in the area.
Previous design concepts of I-69 would have taken out even more businesses near State Road 144, but the project was redesigned to prevent a Morgan County Library branch from being razed, according to INDOT project documents.
Diners and tourists from miles around say they have cherished the Knuckle Sandwich, a 1950s-style diner, for many years.
Jen Davis, of Mooresville, has been coming to the Knuckle Sandwich with her family for years.
“I was so upset when I heard,” Davis said, sitting at the table with her family Friday. “I texted my brother who is in the military … I hoped it would be open until he comes back, but they are not. So we are bummed.”
The restaurant, one of their favorite spots for breakfast, is a staple in their lives, Davis said. Without exception, the food is delicious and the staff treats them like family, she said.
Tina and Jeff Lowe, who live in White River Township near Smith Valley Road, came to enjoy one last meal at the restaurant Friday. They will miss the food and the atmosphere, Tina Lowe said.
The Lowes lament the loss of other local businesses, too, such as the Speedway at Smith Valley Road and homes that will be razed to build the interstate.
“They do what they want,” Jeff Lowe said. “They claim imminent domain and take anything they want.”
Other businesses farther north, such as The Plaster Shack, are still in limbo. Owner Don Weaver is battling INDOT in court over the use of his land, which is not directly involved in the project area.
Weaver has owned The Plaster Shack for 45 years and has been in its current location at 1797 Old State Road 37 in White River Township for 40 years.
Weaver wants to rebuild his shop on another part of the property rather than relocate altogether, he said.
However, INDOT’s acquisition agreement says he won’t be allowed to build on the land for three years, which Weaver says is unfair. INDOT is buying two acres of his seven-acre property, but is trying to take away his ability to use the entire property, he said.
The business sells handmade plaster home decorations Weaver creates by hand, and concrete yard statues that he purchases from a vendor. Because both products are hard to find in the Indianapolis-area, his customers are also upset to see the business in limbo, he said.
“We would like to stay in business and the customers would like us to stay in business," Weaver said. "We are the only place they can get this stuff.”
