Fishers Town Council approves new exit on Interstate 69

The Fishers Town Council unanimously approved a new exit along Interstate 69 Monday. Town officials call it a "game-changer."

As a bus driver, Angela Taylor knows how bad I-69 can be.

"We have a lot of buses that go down to the School for the Blind and we have a lot of problems and issues getting back up to 116th Street," said Taylor.

The latest road project in Fishers actually has her excited.

"To get off at 106th, that would just be a no-brainer," said Taylor. "It would just be a lot easier."

The Fishers Town Council voted to add Exit 204, at 106th Street. A preliminary picture of how the exit might look shows a roundabout on the overpass built to ease traffic congestion, but that is not all. Councilman Pete Peterson said it also opens up 300 acres of land for more business.

"That is going to open that corridor up and tap it hugely for the community," said Peterson.  "It is something Fishers desperately needs, more business development."

The price tag for this project is $25 million dollars.  The town of Fishers will pay $8 million and Hamilton County will pay $2 million.  The remaining $15 million will be picked up by INDOT. 

Peterson understands that more construction means more delays, but says the benefits far outweight the temporary headache.

"I think it is going to be a little bit of a problem in the short-term, but we aren't here for the short-term, it is a long-term fix," said Peterson.

A small price to pay, if you ask Taylor.

"It will be worth it," said Taylor.  "I do not think it will be a big issue. I think we can all tough it out."

It will be a couple of years  before the project will be complete.  The design and planning  phases are expected to last through through 2014. The 106th Street exit, exit 204, is expected to wrap up in 2015.

More information on roadwork in Fishers is available online.

www.fishers.in.us/drivefishers