More US 31 upgrades between Indy and South Bend

[wh15395]

"Level Up 31" project to begin construction on or after October 6th. Phase 1 of the project involves three ramp closures.

1. Closure of the southbound U.S. 31 ramp to 106th Street through late-December
2. Closure of eastbound 106th Street at U.S. 31 through late-December
3. Closure on the eastbound I-465 ramp to southbound Meridian Street through mid-December

Website: https://levelup31.com/

I remember predicting this project would need to be done when 31 was originally reconstructed about a decade ago. I have no idea how INDOT ever thought single lane ramps from 31 to 465 would be sufficient in either direction. They started backing up almost right after construction finished up last time.

[ysuindy]

Time to re- work the Kokomo northbound US 31 lanes. Southbound side is nearly complete. (INDOT)
Beginning on or after Wednesday, October 8, US. 31 northbound will close between the State Road 931 interchanges on the north and south sides of Kokomo. Work on the project is expected to be complete by the middle of November. Southbound U.S. 31 will reopen in advance of this northbound closure. All work is weather-dependent and schedules are subject to change.

During the closure, drivers should use the official detour of S.R. 931.

Learn more: bit.ly/4gCe4eV

Went from Indy to Notre Dame yesterday. Southbound is still closed, northbound still open.

Seems like they are close southbound. One piece of equipment left and a few other areas looking like they just need cleaned up.

Saw one pick up truck parked next to a portable toilet. That was the only activity noted.

No traffic issues going southbound on the original bypass around 9:45 pm.

Heading back next Saturday. Wonder how fast they will get northbound closed after opening southbound.

Kind of surprised they are a few days behind with all the great weather.

[abqtraveler]

that is a weird looking interchange with SR 10!

My vote would be for the standard diamond interchange at SR-10.

[silverback1065]

does anyone know exactly what phase 1 is building for level up 31? they just said ramps were closing but never said what the phase was building exactly.

[theline]

Time to re- work the Kokomo northbound US 31 lanes. Southbound side is nearly complete. (INDOT)
Beginning on or after Wednesday, October 8, US. 31 northbound will close between the State Road 931 interchanges on the north and south sides of Kokomo. Work on the project is expected to be complete by the middle of November. Southbound U.S. 31 will reopen in advance of this northbound closure. All work is weather-dependent and schedules are subject to change.

During the closure, drivers should use the official detour of S.R. 931.

Learn more: bit.ly/4gCe4eV

Went from Indy to Notre Dame yesterday. Southbound is still closed, northbound still open.

Seems like they are close southbound. One piece of equipment left and a few other areas looking like they just need cleaned up.

Saw one pick up truck parked next to a portable toilet. That was the only activity noted.

No traffic issues going southbound on the original bypass around 9:45 pm.

Heading back next Saturday. Wonder how fast they will get northbound closed after opening southbound.

Kind of surprised they are a few days behind with all the great weather.

Seeing a report right now on WNDU that southbound Kokomo bypass is now open and northbound is closed, with traffic rerouted on SR-931.

Edit to add link to story: https://www.wndu.com/2025/10/14/northbound-lanes-us-31-closed-near-kokomo-through-mid-november/

[ysuindy]

Time to re- work the Kokomo northbound US 31 lanes. Southbound side is nearly complete. (INDOT)
Beginning on or after Wednesday, October 8, US. 31 northbound will close between the State Road 931 interchanges on the north and south sides of Kokomo. Work on the project is expected to be complete by the middle of November. Southbound U.S. 31 will reopen in advance of this northbound closure. All work is weather-dependent and schedules are subject to change.

During the closure, drivers should use the official detour of S.R. 931.

Learn more: bit.ly/4gCe4eV

Went from Indy to Notre Dame yesterday. Southbound is still closed, northbound still open.

Seems like they are close southbound. One piece of equipment left and a few other areas looking like they just need cleaned up.

Saw one pick up truck parked next to a portable toilet. That was the only activity noted.

No traffic issues going southbound on the original bypass around 9:45 pm.

Heading back next Saturday. Wonder how fast they will get northbound closed after opening southbound.

Kind of surprised they are a few days behind with all the great weather.

Seeing a report right now on WNDU that southbound Kokomo bypass is now open and northbound is closed, with traffic rerouted on SR-931.

Edit to add link to story: https://www.wndu.com/2025/10/14/northbound-lanes-us-31-closed-near-kokomo-through-mid-november/

Just saw the same report.  Looks like they did the switch overnight Monday/Tuesday.

Not looking forward to the Saturday drive through there.  I'm sure I'll go through downtown on the pre first bypass route.

[cjw2001]

does anyone know exactly what phase 1 is building for level up 31? they just said ramps were closing but never said what the phase was building exactly.

They appear to be reconstructing the I 456 Eastbound to Meridian Street ramp at the moment.

[monty]

I drove US 31 through Tipton and Hamilton Counties today. There are a lot of ongoing projects with Continuous and overlapping work zones.

In Hamilton County, one can easily see the new freeway taking shape with the elimination of driveways and surface crossings, the building of overpasses, and physical removal of some county road access. We may be driving 65 mph through this new segment by Thanksgiving 2027.

In Tipton County, there are very few houses with driveway access left. The concrete anchors to the median cable barriers are installed. These are placed as if the median crossings of county roads will be preserved. I really thought the wire barrier project (to be completed next year) would prompt closures of most Tipton County road surface crossings and reduce them to RIRO or complete closure in harmony with the ProPEL US 31 study.

Attempting to guess at next steps between SR 26 and SR 38... it seems the freeway from I465 will end northbound at the southern Tipton County line, with no decisions yet revealed after the ProPEL US 31 study. I think INDOT will install the lowest possible cost interchange at Division Road in order to eliminate that stoplight and then do nothing in this segment until they receive either political pressure or are forced to address safety issues.

I am curious how long a PEL study is good for. I do not think INDOT has the budget to do much more right now. Being full of years, I have witnessed so many studies of this corridor. It took decades to produce a PEL for the length of the corridor. It feels like ProPEL US 31, while well conducted in my opinion, is just going to gather dust on the shelf beside all the other studies. INDOT will cherry pick a few improvements with special focus on the elimination of stoplights to honor a long term public commitment to create a non-stop Indy to South Bend drive.

[michiganguy123]

Whatever it costs, it should be pursued (minus the Interstate designation). I think US 31 should be completely freeway from Indianapolis, Indiana to Holland, Michigan (The Zeeland-to-Nunica segment can remain part of M-231).

They should atleast link up M-231 with US-31 north of Holland. Grand Haven is an absolute cluster fuck of stop and go traffic, 40 thousand vehicles per day with like 20 traffic lights and all GPS's still route through there.

Something like this:



There also seems to be a great route here if MDOT wanted to buy up some land. Power lines and farm land



Also tell me why Ottawa county loves their fuck ass 4 way stops

[ysuindy]

As we were driving through downtown Kokomo the last two weekends my son and I were trying to figure out the original routes of US 31 through Kokomo.

Prior to the 1950s era bypass it is clear that Washington was the routing of 31.

Washington curves west as it enters Kokomo on both the north and south sides of town. It seems as if Washington was built as a bypass of downtown Kokomo?

Apperson Way from the north and LaFountain Street from the south are straight line extension of 31 just past where the 1950s bypass swings out.

But Apperson and LaFountain don't connect.

Does anyone have any intel as to whether 31 was ever routed along these streets? And what other streets carried 31?  Perhaps a section of the streets were removed?

[monty]

As we were driving through downtown Kokomo the last two weekends my son and I were trying to figure out the original routes of US 31 through Kokomo.

Prior to the 1950s era bypass it is clear that Washington was the routing of 31.

Washington curves west as it enters Kokomo on both the north and south sides of town. It seems as if Washington was built as a bypass of downtown Kokomo?

Apperson Way from the north and LaFountain Street from the south are straight line extension of 31 just past where the 1950s bypass swings out.

But Apperson and LaFountain don't connect.

Does anyone have any intel as to whether 31 was ever routed along these streets? And what other streets carried 31?  Perhaps a section of the streets were removed?

Good assumption! Apperson Way does appear to be the northern connector, but it was Washington. The streets wind around the north end of Kokomo. There was a rail line there as well (The IMC) that ran north to Peru that the old highway had to contend with. Washington stayed to the west of that railroad.

Heading north to south, US 31 ran on Washington St down through the west side of downtown and then to LaFountain and re-connected where the Lowes store and restaurant row are now. It has been a four lane thoroughfare South to North since the 1950's with the exception of the far northern end after the old US 35 (now Davis Road) split to the NW (also a "Y.") before crossing the (still active) former PRR. It remains four lanes up through Morgan Street before returning to two lanes of what was a somewhat rural area up to (now) SR 931 alignment. Old US 31 was then two lanes on up to Peru which it entered on what is now tagged as Business US 31.

There is a portion of the "Y" remaining on each end at the Kokomo connections that are now IN SR 931. Well into the 1960's the Y's controlled the interchanges. When the south end retail built up, the intersection was reconfigured with a stoplight.

In the golden CB area, Kokomo was named "Stoplight City" for obvious reasons. Before the new freeway was built, there were some 45,000 vehicles per day on the south end. 

This is an interesting blog on the topic: https://blog.jimgrey.net/2021/07/23/old-us-31-in-kokomo-indiana/

[ysuindy]

Thanks Monty.

Washington must have been through the country for a while. Those homes around IUK don't look like they've been there since the 1930 US 31.

I made a many a trip on the old bypass and stoplight after stoplight.

I was looking at Jim's blog yesterday. I've read all his posts about 31. I did take the original routing once coming back dropping my son off at Notre Dame.  I should travel it again sometime

[ITB]

In Tipton County, there are very few houses with driveway access left. The concrete anchors to the median cable barriers are installed. These are placed as if the median crossings of county roads will be preserved. I really thought the wire barrier project (to be completed next year) would prompt closures of most Tipton County road surface crossings and reduce them to RIRO or complete closure in harmony with the ProPEL US 31 study.

Attempting to guess at next steps between SR 26 and SR 38... it seems the freeway from I465 will end northbound at the southern Tipton County line, with no decisions yet revealed after the ProPEL US 31 study. I think INDOT will install the lowest possible cost interchange at Division Road in order to eliminate that stoplight and then do nothing in this segment until they receive either political pressure or are forced to address safety issues.

I am curious how long a PEL study is good for. I do not think INDOT has the budget to do much more right now. Being full of years, I have witnessed so many studies of this corridor. It took decades to produce a PEL for the length of the corridor. It feels like ProPEL US 31, while well conducted in my opinion, is just going to gather dust on the shelf beside all the other studies. INDOT will cherry pick a few improvements with special focus on the elimination of stoplights to honor a long term public commitment to create a non-stop Indy to South Bend drive.

With US 31 improvements, INDOT appears to be taking a two-step approach. The first is to upgrade the road to an expressway. This involves the building of interchanges, overpasses, and RIRO access from county roads and driveways. The elimination of stop lights and unsignaled crossings is a priority. After the highway has been become an expressway, INDOT then comes back in to do access control, or improvements to upgrade to a freeway. At this stage, county road and driveway access to US 31 is eliminated. That's what's happening now in Hamilton County.

The results of the ProPEL US 31 study provide INDOT an excellent template to upgrade the highway. It will take place piece-meal like, in sections here and there. Don't expect a massive billion dollar project to be announced. That's not the way things will proceed. Improvements to US 31 will happen over a number of years, and individual projects are expected to go through the normal regional/state planning steps, beginning with a call for projects. This means a period of three to five years before projects reach the construction stage.

Page 42, final ProPEL US 31 South study report:

The study concludes that implementation of an entirely free-flow facility on US 31 in the study area will likely extend beyond the study's planning horizon of 2045. In the interim, the study provides INDOT with a flexible guide to incrementally upgrade US 31 in the study area to a free-flow facility.

With the upgrade program stretching over 15 to 20 years, INDOT will have adequate resources to implement the improvements. As I noted in a previous post, only 10 interchanges and 11 overpasses are needed to make US 31 an limited-access expressway. This is a very manageable undertaking. For example, only one interchange and two overpasses are needed to make US 31 an expressway from the  Hamilton/Tipton county line to Kokomo. The Division Road intersection, most certainly, will be upgraded to an interchange. Since it's a truck route, to do otherwise would be unsafe. J-Turns? Try picturing a loaded semi trying to cross two lanes with traffic running at 65 mph. It's a recipe for disaster. And this pertains to the entire length of the corridor.

To be sure, INDOT is facing budget constraints. At this time, this mainly concerns interstate widening and reconstruction projects, which are proving to be enormously expensive. What's happening is interstate projects expected to come in at $300 million are becoming $400 million. And not just once, but again and again, creating a budget shortfall. In short, INDOT just doesn't have the funds available to do the interstate projects it wants to do. That's why tolling is on the table. If that happens, the revenue stream will likely cover those undertakings, leaving ample funds for everything else.

In the short term, INDOT should have enough money to do an interstate widening project or two. I'll explain later why I think this is so in another post on the main Indiana board. As importantly, they will have adequate funds to do some US 30 and US 31 projects. Moreover, there are projects all over the state that deserve funding. INDOT won't be ignoring those. It's very meaningful to comprehend that INDOT, as a state agency, answers to the governor and legislature. I shouldn't have to mention that, but that fact is often conveniently overlooked. If the legislature wants that road or bridge improved INDOT will do just that. Period.

Undoubtedly, US 31 is going to be upgraded. In time, the highway will be transitioned to a freeway. It's the principal avenue for travel between north-central Indiana and the rest of the state. Moreover, the road connects the Indianapolis area to the Grand Rapids region, which is the 49th largest MSA in the country. In comparison, the Louisville MSA is 43rd.

Indiana's north-central region is booming. Large industrial developments are underway in South Bend and nearby areas, including the $11 billion Amazon data center complex in New Carlisle. In nearby Warsaw, Bezos-backed startup, Slate Auto, is building a factory that will employ 2,000. Stellantis just announced another 100 jobs will be coming to Kokomo. In Rochester, they're expanding utilities for a new business park. Around the region, dozens of residential developments are either ongoing or planned. And down in rapidly growing Hamilton County, another 2,300 homes are in the works near Hortonville.