New Indiana interchange celebrated with ribbon cutting

U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly (D-IN) celebrated the opening of the new Veterans Parkway/Seventh Road interchange by cutting the ribbon at a ceremony in Plymouth, Indiana, Friday.

Thanks to a partnership between Marshal County and the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), the Veterans Parkway/7th Road interchange is open for motorists. The partnership is considered a model of collaboration between local communities and INDOT. 

INDOT Northwest District Deputy Commissioner Rick Powers lauded this collaboration. “It’s an exciting day as we open what will be a vital connector for Marshall County as well as the city of Plymouth. Marshall County’s Veteran’s Parkway and INDOT’s new interchange of U.S. 31 area is a great example of the partnership between INDOT and the local communities, which our state highways connect. Local projects and state projects [are] working together to create better and more efficient ways for the folks of Indiana to get to work, school and home.”

Other attendees at the ceremony included Marshall County Commissioners, numerous U.S. veterans, and other INDOT leaders. 

US 31 runs close to Indianapolis, Kokomo and South Bend, making it an important part of the Major Moves construction program. The new projects are meant to heighten safety, decrease congestion and offer commerce continuity and easy regional travel between Michigan and Alabama.

When the last 13 miles north of Indianapolis are finished and open to drivers, there will be 32 traffic signals that will have been erased from South Bend to Indianapolis, saving drivers 30 minutes of driving time.