Douglas Road approved to go under construction in 2021

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- “This has been on the plan for 20 years, “said Andy Kostielney, St. Joseph County Commissioner.

The St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners approved a proposal to revamp part of Douglas road. Right now, Douglas road, between Ivy road and State road 23, is only two lanes. However, soon it will be four lanes.

 “I mean we have realized that this is an opportunity to improve traffic flow. This is a tremendous east, west corridor in the northern part of the county,” “said Kostielney.  

The construction is slated to start in 2021 and the project is expected to take about two years to complete. Drivers in the area are encouraged to prepare for partial road closures and potential delays.

“I use Douglas road to come here to the golf course and to go out to 23,” said Bob Jones.   

Bob Jones is a regular at the Warren Golf Course at Notre Dame which sits near Douglas and Ivy.  He says he hopes the improvements are worth the wait---and initial hassle.

“It gets pretty backed up along this stretch, so maybe it’ll help a little bit,” said Jones. “I am maybe more worried about how gummed up its going to get during construction then you know how much how much the delays are now, but we’ll see.” 

However, Kostielney is staying optimistic that the patience will pay off.

“We hope it’ll help the businesses along those areas because it’ll make it easier for people to get to the business,” said Kostielney.   

Details on detour routes and the exact start date of this project still haven’t been announced. We’ll pass along updates---once we learn more.