I-69 to be a ‘game changer’ for economic development in Bargersville

Johnson County and Bargersville are getting ready to grow as the Interstate 69 innovation corridor develops.

I-69 is a “game-changer” for the town, the county, and the whole region, said Amanda Rubadue, vice president of economic development for Aspire Johnson County.

A decade in the making, the final pieces of construction at the new I-465 and I-69 in Indianapolis are underway in the final leg of the six-section, multi-decade project to connect Evansville and Indianapolis.

The final section upgrades State Road 37 from Martinsville to Indianapolis to interstate standards and connects it to the I-465 loop on the southside. When work is complete, I-69 will run continuously from the Canadian border at Port Huron, Michigan to Evansville. Ground was also broken this week on a bridge to carry the interstate across the Ohio River to connect Evansville to Henderson, Kentucky and points south.

The final section will result in a “significant economic benefit” for Morgan, Johnson, Hendricks and Marion counties. All four counties could see an additional $1.7 million in employee wages and $2.4 billion in regional domestic product, according to an environmental impact statement prepared by the Indiana Department of Transportation.

The new interstate has two exits in Johnson County at State Road 144 in Bargersville and Smith Valley Road in White River Township. The exit for County Line Road is in Marion County, but it will certainly bring development potential to western Greenwood. The interstate opens up quick access to IU Bloomington and downtown Indianapolis and brings a lot of opportunity for the workforce and economic development along the corridor, Rubadue said.

“But when you add in the potential at interchanges in Johnson County… it really just opens up a lot of access to opportunity for our workforce to get connected to new businesses that we are working to attract,” Rubadue said.

The I-69 project is expected to generate $4.1 billion in regional economic impact over 20 years. The project is also expected to add more than 1,400 jobs by 2045 and generate about $3.8 billion in added business output over 20 years, according to an environmental impact statement.

The shortened drive time from southern Indiana population centers like Bloomington opens up an opportunity to attract more workforce and a higher-quality workforce, Rubadue said. Among the highest hopes for Aspire and Bargersville is to attract high-paying jobs such as those in the life science industry to the corridor.

Having an I-69 exit will be significant for Bargersville, said Dan Cartwright, town manager. In addition to expected job and business growth, residents will have increased mobility. The growth will also fuel the revitalization of downtown, he said.

The financial potential depends on the aggressiveness of municipalities to develop the area, the environmental impact statement says. Even before the County Road 144 interchange was completed in 2022, the town of Bargersville had a project in the works dubbed White River Crossing that has this year begun site work.

Aspire has worked with the Town of Bargersville to market and bring development to the area near the newly built interstate, Rubadue said. With the road near full completion, two developments are in the works at two corners of the I-69 and State Road 144 interchange.

White River Crossing, developed by Aditi Real Estate 57 LLC, sits on the southeast corner of the interstate interchange and contains approximately 135 acres. Construction on the first buildings in White River Crossing could begin in the spring of 2026, broker Ryan Zickler told Indianapolis Business Journal. Zickler was the broker from the acquistion of the land and is now the listing broker responsible for the marketing of the proposed development.

Another development, dubbed Whetzel Trace, sits mostly in Morgan County, with a small portion of the eastern part of the property reaching Bargersville town limits.

White River Crossing development is envisioned as a “first-class interstate exit,” Cartwright said. No truck stops or big box industrial developments will be allowed. The town doesn’t want the corridor to be full of fast food restaurants, gas stations and strip malls, he said.

The project is a mixed-use development that is envisioned by Aditi for retail, grocery, restaurant, hotel, medical, multi-family and 55+ housing uses. Bargersville has not received a finalized plan for the development and future businesses haven’t been announced publicly. The plan will still have to go through a hearing process with the plan commission and the town council, Cartwright said.

Work at the site right now is for a new town-owned regional lift station and sanitary sewer work. The town is connecting this to a new sewer plant in Morgan County that was built to prepare for growth along I-69, Cartwright said.

Though right now, most developers are interested in the State Road 135 corridor rather than I-69, Cartwright said. There’s no doubt that interest will shift near the interstate interchange, it’s just a matter of when, he said.

“It’s gonna be great for economic development,” Cartwright said. “It’s gonna be fantastic in the future. It’s not gonna be fantastic next year … It’s a long-term development out there.”

When this growth happens depends on many factors, Rubadue said.

“With development, you just never know. You just need that first domino to fall and then it creates development, it creates excitement in the area,” Rubadue said.

The two developments could potentially generate excitement and be the first domino, she said. Both developments are headed along the same path of quality investment and life science uses, she said.

“This is a game changer. The interstate is a game-changer for our community, especially in the Bargersville community and is opening up a ton of opportunity in the area,” Rubadue said.

Cartwright asks that residents can trust town officials are doing their due diligence as the project shapes up.

“We’re not going to just go out there and start selling a bunch of lots and start building things,” Cartwright said. “It’s going to be part of an overall plan.”

CORRECTION: 10:10 a.m. Sept. 20, 2024

Because of a typographical error, the name of a Ryan Zickler was previously misspelled. Additionally, Zickler’s title was incorrect.