St. Joseph County approves interlocal agreement with INDOT to build State Road 2/Larison Boulevard interchange

St. Joseph County Redevelopment Commission voted unanimously to approve an interlocal cooperative agreement with the Indiana Department of Transportation to construct an interchange at State Road 2 and Larison Boulevard.

The agreement assigns the county a $19 million responsibility for the project; $7 million of that will be provided by Amazon Web Services, and the remaining $12 million may be satisfied through cash, right-of-way donations, or previously paid professional services. Staff estimated about $3 million will be used for property acquisitions. County-owned parcels and donated lands from project partners reduce the cash needed, with staff citing roughly $650,000 of land donated on the GM side and about $1 million of land from the Amazon-related contributions.

County staff told commissioners the project design is about 30% complete and a new consultant has been retained to take the plans to construction-ready status. Construction is targeted to begin in March, with substantial completion expected by November 2027; staff noted GM’s facility is targeted to open in December 2027. With the commission’s approval, staff said the agreement will be sent to the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners for signature and then forwarded to the state for final signatures.

The interchange is intended to address a long-standing safety and traffic-mobility gap on State Road 2. Staff described the county’s responsibilities as including right-of-way acquisitions and coordination with local utility and railroad owners. The commission also discussed that portions of the county’s expenses are anticipated to be reimbursed under related developer or partner agreements.

The commission earlier approved Resolution 2025-13, a fiscal appropriations resolution that includes an appropriation of $7,000,000 identified as the GM flex fund coming from Amazon; staff said that appropriation is needed so the county can forward the funds to the state before Nov. 30 to meet agreement deadlines. Commissioners voted unanimously to approve both the resolution and the interlocal cooperative agreement; no public comments were offered during the meeting.

The project will require additional property acquisitions and coordination with utility owners and the Norfolk Southern and Canadian National railroads. Staff said further contract approvals for road and intersection work on Larison Boulevard and at Strawberry Road will appear on future agendas.