New US-31 route opens to warm receptions
BENTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WNDU) - Michiana drivers are hitting the open road on a part of US-31 many never thought would come to completion.
The new stretch of highway is saving people time on the road and saving homeowners who live on the old route some peace of mind.
16 News Now reporter Jack Springgate took the road less traveled to find out if it’s any faster than taking Napier Ave. Jack?
This used to be considered the road to nowhere, the spot where US-31 seemingly disappeared into the woods, forcing drivers to take Napier Ave to get to I-94.
Now, South Bend travelers have a straight shot to get on the path to Chicago, Detroit, or South Haven.
This is what it looks like to drive on the newly opened stretch of US-31 that had been left unfinished since 2003.
Not only does it make heading east on I-94 more straightforward, but it also provides better access for anyone making their way up to I-196, the gateway to the lake shores just north of us.
“It really is a big deal. This is going to help commuters between the South Bend metropolitan area, the Berrien County area, whether it’s Berrien Springs or Benton Harbor/St. Joe, South Haven, maybe even further up in the Saugatuck, Douglas, or even Holland area. Certainly, it’s going to ease that commuter traffic,” said MDOT spokesman Nick Schirripa.
16 News Now clocked the driving time for both the old and new routes from the Napier bridge exit. Making it to the new US-31 and I-94 interchange is roughly 3-minutes quicker on the new stretch of road than if you were to take Napier to I-94.
That means far fewer drivers will be zooming by these residences that haven’t been this quiet since the early 2000′s.
“When I moved here we only had two lanes out here. Then in 2002, they put five lanes out there,” said Burrell Burnett Jr. who’s lived on Napier Ave. since 1964.
Those five lanes have been handling traffic heading to and from I-94 for the past twenty years, and Burnett Jr. says he can tell something’s missing—which is a good thing.
“Traffic has been pretty bad out here. Since they opened up this road yesterday, it’s cut it down to at least three-quarters. It will be easier to get out of here too,” he said.
Completing a connection that’s been in the works since 1972.
Burnett Jr. says he has a son living in South Haven, so he might take the new addition to drive up and meet him, but it doesn’t make too much of a difference because he’s already halfway to the Napier/94 exit.
Others, like our own Jack Springgate who regularly makes his way up to South Haven, will take full advantage of the new highway when making his way up north.
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