An access road that will eventually connect Stones Crossing and Travis roads to the future State Road 144 interchange of Interstate 69 is under construction.
Construction on the road began in earnest last week. Crews blocked off the east side of the intersection of State Road 37 and Stones Crossing Road. The east side of the intersection, between Travis Road and State Road 37, is also blocked off.
The access road will run parallel to State Road 37, between Travis Road and Stones Crossing Road, in preparation for the interstate. Drivers who want to reach State Road 37 will have to do so by taking Smith Valley Road, said Natalie Garrett, an Indiana Department of Transportation spokesperson.
Some utility work to prepare for the construction took place this spring, but the majority of construction work started last week and will likely conclude before Center Grove schools begins the school year Aug. 5, she said.
The work is part of INDOT’s $2 billion project to bridge the gap between Martinsville and Interstate 465 in Indianapolis; State Road 37 will become I-69. Once the project is completed, which will likely occur in 2024, drivers will be able to use I-69 to travel between Evansville and Indianapolis without having to exit the highway.
Later this year, construction crews will also get to work on two additional access roads. One road will run adjacent to State Road 37, from Old State Road 37 to Smith Valley Road, while the other will run alongside State Road 37 from Smith Valley Road to County Line Road. A more specific timeline for those access roads has not been finalized, Garrett said.
Once the interstate is completed, there will likely be more traffic along its interchanges, but it will benefit commuters, she said.
“There are many commuters between areas south of Martinsville, such as Bloomington, commuting to Indianapolis and vice versa, and it should be a great benefit to them and their commute,” Garrett said. “It’ll hopefully make it a quicker commute and a safer one with the elimination of so many crossroads on (State Road) 37.”
