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Us 31 - South Bend To Plymouth - Major Moves


mobilene
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I was looking at the new Web site for the South Bend-to-Plymouth leg of the northern-Indiana US 31 upgrade, http://www.us31plysb.com/. Maybe 10 more miles of the DH northern connector will be on a decommissioned road when this is done.

 

New US 31 splits from the old a few blocks south of where "the bypass" (as we called it when I was a kid) rejoins US 31's original route on South Bend's south side. The road flows west of current US 31 at first, but quickly crosses over and flows east, bypassinig Lakeville and LaPaz. US 31 is four lanes through both towns today, but the 35 mph speed limits can create traffic challenges. But these two small towns do offer at least a little charm along this highway. It looks like they're going to extend SR 4 east to end at the new US 31; SR 4 is an east-west road that begins just north of Lakeville.

 

I've rescheduled my US 31 trip for Sept 15. We'll start at the Michigan/Indiana line and go through South Bend on old US 31, and then follow eventually-to-be-old US 31 south of town. North of Plymouth we'll stay on the DH route, old US 31 (evantually to be old old US 31) as it goes, until old US 31 splits from it in Rochester.

 

jim

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Nice find, Jim! I always like to check out these kind of web sites to see where new highway construction is heading. There's a similar one for the I-69 expansion to Evansville, but I won't give any interstate attention on this forum. ;) Be sure to reward your trip with a burger at Schoop's in Plymouth!

 

I wonder when the 31 project hits Kokomo if they'll call the new route the by-bypass. :) They built the current 31 bypass around Kokomo to get the traffic out of downtown and alleviate congestion. So what do they do? They allow developers to "crazy go nuts" on the bypass and now it takes forever to get through. Hopefully they'll be smart with the new bypass and refrain from building around it, kind of like is the case with IN-67 around Muncie.

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They want US 31 to be limited access all the way, I think, so the by-bypass would not lend itself to that kind of development stupidity. There'd be opportunities only at the exits.

 

I've been to Plymouth any number of times and have never heard of Schoop's! Too bad it'll be something like 8:30 or 9 am when we get there... Maybe another day, when my sons are along.

 

jim

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Can someone answer just one question about this?

 

Why does it take Hoosiers seven years to create 20 miles of new highway?

 

A similar situation is under way here in Terre Haute. A bypass is being built to connect U.S. 41 on the south end of town to I-70 on the east side. I don't believe that stretch of new highway is as long as the U.S. 31 project and it also won't be completed until some time in the next decade.

 

You'd think with all of this Major Moves money, the projects could be completed sooner rather than later.

 

Any thoughts?

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Can someone answer just one question about this?

 

Why does it take Hoosiers seven years to create 20 miles of new highway?

 

A similar situation is under way here in Terre Haute. A bypass is being built to connect U.S. 41 on the south end of town to I-70 on the east side. I don't believe that stretch of new highway is as long as the U.S. 31 project and it also won't be completed until some time in the next decade.

 

You'd think with all of this Major Moves money, the projects could be completed sooner rather than later.

 

Any thoughts?

 

I would bet the I-69 expansion as something to do with that. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that little connector from I-70 to US 41 what they'd use for I-69 if they choose to run it west on 70 to Terre Haute?

 

 

They want US 31 to be limited access all the way, I think, so the by-bypass would not lend itself to that kind of development stupidity. There'd be opportunities only at the exits.

 

I've been to Plymouth any number of times and have never heard of Schoop's! Too bad it'll be something like 8:30 or 9 am when we get there... Maybe another day, when my sons are along.

 

jim

 

Schoop's is big up in The Region. There used to be one at Eastgate Mall in Indy when I used to work in the food court out there 20 years ago. The one in Plymouth is on the old 31 alignment through town. It's north of downtown Plymouth on the east side of the street. A worthy stop, to say the least!

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I was looking at the new Web site for the South Bend-to-Plymouth leg of the northern-Indiana US 31 upgrade, http://www.us31plysb.com/. Maybe 10 more miles of the DH northern connector will be on a decommissioned road when this is done.

 

New US 31 splits from the old a few blocks south of where "the bypass" (as we called it when I was a kid) rejoins US 31's original route on South Bend's south side. The road flows west of current US 31 at first, but quickly crosses over and flows east, bypassinig Lakeville and LaPaz. US 31 is four lanes through both towns today, but the 35 mph speed limits can create traffic challenges. But these two small towns do offer at least a little charm along this highway. It looks like they're going to extend SR 4 east to end at the new US 31; SR 4 is an east-west road that begins just north of Lakeville.

 

I've rescheduled my US 31 trip for Sept 15. We'll start at the Michigan/Indiana line and go through South Bend on old US 31, and then follow eventually-to-be-old US 31 south of town. North of Plymouth we'll stay on the DH route, old US 31 (evantually to be old old US 31) as it goes, until old US 31 splits from it in Rochester.

 

 

jim

 

Jim,

 

I’m glad to see your US 31 trip is scheduled again!

 

I looked at the project info for the revisions. While several historic sites are considered in the impact statements, no mention is ever made of the Dixie. There are some brief comments about the “Miami Trail” and a reference to a location on the “Miami Highway” but nothing else.

 

I figured that maybe the Miami Trail or Highwaywas a local name for the Dixie Highway, but couldn’t confirm it.

 

I suppose the Dixie can be ignored because it isn’t an official historic artifact. Do you think that is true.

 

Just a few passing thoughts.....

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

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I would bet the I-69 expansion as something to do with that. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that little connector from I-70 to US 41 what they'd use for I-69 if they choose to run it west on 70 to Terre Haute?

 

That would be it. Of course, as of now, they're not going to use it that way, planning to build all new-terrain. Guess that could change, though.

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Heh! Miami Road (aka the Miami Highway or just Miami Street) is east of the DH. This road starts at the LH in South Bend (east of 31) and flows down just into the next county, just south of US 6 and west of Bremen, ending at the Plymouth-Goshen Trail. South of SB it's posted at 55 MPH, but it's the quality of a "nice" rural road -- no shoulders, but striped. I use it when I'm heading south out of SB when there's construction or bad traffic on 31. If you look it up on a map, you'll see Miami Road ends at the Plymouth-Goshen Trail. I keep meaning to follow that road, which winds and stops and starts and might even become SR 119 for all I can tell before actually reaching Goshen.

 

I grew up just off Miami Street. There was a great 5 and dime with a soda fountain there, maybe 10 blocks south of the LH.

 

That 70-41 connector has been under discussion for twenty years, easy. The company I worked for when I got out of college was just south of 70 on SR 46. The first route of that connector was going to take out the building I worked in. I remember the day that hit the paper; what a stink it created. I think it was later moved a bit north and then consumed just the corner of my company's property. Anyway, I remember seeing the director of the West-Central Indiana Economic Development District (or whatever it was called) on TV extolling its virtues, esp. as a way of attracting I-69 to the region. (Hadn't met my now ex-wife yet, and so I didn't know that she was dating that guy. That's what it's like to live in a small city. Too big to know everybody, but small enough to cross everybody's path.)

 

I'll look for Schoop's as we head into Plymouth then!

 

jim

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